The Truth Hurts More
by sfaye-chan
Summary: She had never understood. Those around her claimed their hatred for the Demon Emperor, but even though she smiled and nodded she felt her heart breaking every time. No one else wished for a reason. Only she longed for the truth and what little closure she believed it would give her. She had never learnt that, sometimes, the truth hurt more. (A Watch the Series fanfiction.)
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, I recently re-watched the series, and I got interested in it again. I've read a lot of fanfics like this one, but I wanted to try write one myself. This is my first Code Geass fanfic, so please bear with me if I make any mistakes and whatnot.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't, in any way, own Code Geass. That honour belongs to its rightful owners alone.**

* * *

A soft sigh escaped the newly crowned empress' lips as her eyes drank in the sight in front of her. Most would call her surroundings plain and quite normal, but she found herself enjoying and savoring every moment her eyes remained opened. She only wished they had opened sooner.

"Empress Nunnally," she heard a voice call out to her, and she knew without turning who it was.

"Zero." The way she greeted him made him wince. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion, but he knew he deserved it. He had killed her brother, after all. Even if Lelouch had been evil in everyone's eyes, he had no doubt that the man was still loved by his little sister.

The very same little sister Lelouch had given his life for.

"What do you want with me, Zero?" Nunnally asked tiredly, finally deciding to give him the respect of at least facing him as she wheeled around.

He smiled bitterly from beneath his mask, wondering if her anger would only rise if he were to show her his true face. In her eyes, best friends did not kill each other, after all. Knowing this, he cut to the chase quickly, "Someone's here to see you, Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Nunnally blinked in slight surprise. She knew it couldn't be one of her half-siblings, because if that were the case, they would have been let in instantly and Nunnally had no doubt their names would have been mentioned. "Who is it?"

"Someone who claims to have been friends with... your brother, Your Majesty," Zero cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he referred to her brother.

Nunnally's eyes widened. "Very well. Send them in." She wondered what anyone who still took on the title of being her brother's friend proudly would possibly want with her. She could only hope they would finally give her an answer.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Zero bowed dutifully and left to obey her command. In seconds he returned, a beautiful dame in tow. She was wearing a modest dress laced with frills, her lush emerald hair pulled back into a neat plait. But what drew Nunnally's stare most were her eyes; a pair of cold, honey-colored orbs that now bored into her soul.

And yet despite their facade of indifference, they also held something Nunnally could only hope for. They glittered with life.

Nunnally acknowledged her with intrigue.

"Empress Nunnally," the maiden greeted monotonously, and the empress wondered if she had really heard the bitter sadness in her voice or if it had just been her imagination.

Nunnally managed a smile, recognizing the woman not only from her voice but also from stories retold and the air she carried with her. An aura of knowledge and wisdom too old for someone looking so young. "Lady C.C.," she said. Her brother's benefactor and one of the only ones she knew who continued to grieve him. Someone Nunnally knew her brother truly cared for, and someone, because of her undying loyalty, Nunnally respected greatly.

C.C. offered her a tight smile, something in her eyes Nunnally couldn't quite discern. "It's been awhile, Nunnally," C.C. gave, not caring to address the empress respectfully. It was a refreshing taste for the crowned empress. "Your brother would be proud."

The empress choked on the tea she had been languidly sipping. Placing the cup down gently, she looked at C.C. gravely, beginning to wonder more what the immortal had in store for her. "Leave us," she ordered, and the only other in the room nodded before making his leave.

They both remained silent until the assuring click of the door sounded and the resounding footsteps drifted away. "You had Zero leave?" C.C. asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

The empress sighed. "What is it you're here for, C.C.?"

To her surprise, C.C. only smiled, her eyes solemn but full of regret. "I'm here for not the _beloved_ "―it was the emphasis that made Nunnally cringe―"Empress of Britannia, but rather for the sister the man I loved did everything for."

Those words were enough to make Nunnally's eyes fly wide open in shock. After a lingering beat of silence, she replied, "...Well, you have her. And before you start, I'll begin with saying how sorry I am for―"

"Betraying him?" C.C. cut in coldly, her face blank. "Siding with Schneizel―who, need I remind you, _wanted Lelouch dead_? Or perhaps it's questioning his love for you that you're sorry for." Nunnally was stunned into silence by the sharp edge in C.C's voice.

She lowered her eyes quietly, her gaze falling to the floor in shame. "I'm sorry," she apologized shamefully, her soft amethyst eyes moistening with tears.

C.C. sighed, any trace of anger gone as her glare softened. _This isn't what I came here for,_ she reminded herself sternly. _Lelouch never held her for blame, and so neither will I._ She was merely his queen―rather, his confidant. She had come here with a purpose and she would leave as soon as she was done.

"You really did love him, didn't you?" Empress Nunnally questioned softly, her voice terrified but also knowing.

C.C. remained silent. _Present tense, because I still do,_ she answered silently. Shaking it off, she scowled and bit out, "Do you want what I came here for, or not?"

Nunnally seemed too shaken to respond at first, but then she took on a look of curiosity. "And what did you come here for, C.C.?"

C.C. remained silent for a few moments before whispering quietly, as though if she spoke too loud she would break what little peace they had: "You deserve to know the truth." Part of her felt guilty for doing this, as Lelouch had always told her that all they planned for was for the best, and to _just forget it, please_. But she had also seen the longing in his eyes, and her heart reached out to him. Because no matter what he said to her, his eyes spoke so much more.

Nunnally's eyes widened at C.C.'s short, but important message. She gulped, her eyes full of hope yet ample caution. "...The truth?"

C.C. smiled softly. "Yes. The truth. Nothing less and nothing more. Your brother may not have wanted it, but I think you've earned the honor."

"I―" Nunnally stopped herself. To be honest, she didn't know why C.C. would ever suggest she _deserved_ to know the truth, but she was grateful for it. She wanted to _understand_. Yes, she had already gotten the gist of it due to the barrage of memories not her own that had swept over her the moment her hands clasped her dying brother's, but none of it had been _clear_ in the kind of way she couldn't deny.

She... She needed to know _more._ Why did he have to die? Why would he _willingly_ sacrifice his life? And more importantly, why couldn't he have _told_ her? Why leave her suffering in the dark?

Before she could ask C.C. how she intended to show her the truth, the woman smiled sadly―the bitter smile of one who regretted their life. Her golden eyes held a tinge of sorrow as she reached a porcelain hand into a leather bag she had brought along with her. Then, C.C. abruptly placed two disks on the table; her hands had moved in such a hurried fashion that Nunnally wondered if it was because C.C. didn't want herself to rethink it all and reconsider what she was doing.

C.C. reached up with trembling fingers and pushed behind her ear a strand of hair that had escaped the plait the rest was in. "I'll be taking my leave, now," was all the woman had to offer before taking in a deep breath, sending Nunnally an encouraging smile, and striding away with her head held high.

"Wait," Nunnally called out suddenly, timidly, and C.C. halted with her hand on the doorknob. "My brother..." The empress gulped and pried on, "What was he to you?"

C.C.'s eyes widened. She considered the question for a moment before the ghost of a smile touched her lips and tears pooled in her eyes. "He... He was the only one who understood me; who cared for me genuinely. He made me see that the world is not unkind, should you choose to see it as such. He gave me a reason to live, Nunnally, and now all that is gone."

C.C. carried on before Nunnally could respond, her heart aching with the weight of the words that left her mouth: "He promised me I would die with a smile on my face. I don't think he can ensure that now, can he?" And then, too quickly for Nunnally to protest, C.C. left the room.

Then all was silent.

Nunnally silently reached for the disks, her eyes shining with hope even though her heart broke at the scratchy, broken quality of C.C.'s voice. "Oh, brother..." she whispered hoarsely. Finally she was given the chance to understand him. _I'm so sorry, big brother._ Her throat dried. _I'm sorry I turned my back on you. C.C. was right: I betrayed you, when you had only ever loved me. You did everything for me, and all I did to repay you was betray you._

 _And I never―I never even gave you the chance to explain yourself._ She whimpered at the thought. She had left him when he needed her most, even though he had always been there for her. "Lelouch," she choked, "I―I'll fix my mistakes. I'll change, I promise."

Even after Zero had returned to her side, and she gripped the disks tightly to her chest, a terrifying thought slipped into the depths of her mind:

 _If I had been a better sister, could you be alive, at my side?_

She didn't want to think of the answer, because deep down she had a feeling she knew what it was already.

Yes. He might have. Could have.

If only she had supported him and cared for him like he _deserved_.

One glance at the disks made her wipe her tears away. Her brother would have never wanted her to cry like this. He would have told her to move on with her life, and the least she could do was grant him his wish like he had granted her hers.

"Zero," she was pleased to hear her voice didn't waver, but instead remained proudly steady, "call the others. Everyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting and _knowing_ my brother before he became the Demon Emperor. Schedule a meeting for tomorrow, at noon."

He could only nod, silently wondering what had transpired between the two women.


	2. Stage 01: The Day a Demon was Born

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.**

* * *

 **Stage 01: The Day a Demon was Born**

* * *

"Your Majesty," a voice, synthesised and inhumanly cold, spoke humbly, "should we be doing this?"

Empress Nunnally vi Britannia sighed tiredly. "Zero," she addressed him with none of the coldness she'd been speaking to him with recently, "they deserve to know the truth. As do I."

There was a fierceness in the Empress's voice that made him stop the protest that had been ready to slip out of his mouth. For a moment, he mulled over the problem.

"Don't worry about it, Zero," Nunnally dismissed wearily. _Don't concern yourself over this, Suzaku._ Of course, she couldn't be sure it was truly her friend under that mask, and he was certainly unwilling to show her, so she had no certain way of knowing.

But still… Memories were to be trusted, right?

Really, she was upset that he and her brother had felt the need to plan such a thing—a requiem, she thought—in the first place.

She hated that Suzaku was trying to be someone he was not, every dramatic gesture he made or fanciful speech he served reminding her of her brother—and reminding her that her brother no longer existed in the realm of the living.

His actions came off as forced, and she regretted that Suzaku had to pretend to be Zero, someone he could never, should never, be.

But then again, who was she to talk?

Here she was, the sister of the "Demon Emperor," claiming the throne. What right did she have? Did Cornelia not have more right to sit upon that very throne than her? So why?

Why was she trying to be an Empress? _For the world my brother fought for,_ she thought instantly, her response sorrowful.

Her brother deserved the crown, she thought, and she wished he could have been able to rule peacefully, truthfully, with no hidden motives. Because he would have been a brilliant leader, and she believed in his ability to lead their people into a better future.

 _If only you were still alive, Lelouch…_

* * *

In the dimly lit auditorium of the previous Student Council Clubhouse, those who had been closest to Lelouch Vi Britannia were gathered. They were all wearing looks of slight confusion and wary caution as they glanced at the ones surrounding them and waited for the ones who had summoned them.

Silently, warily, the assembled people found it in themselves to relax at least slightly, mingling with the ones they knew. Slowly, after awhile, the gathered crowds separated, casting cautious glances over their shoulders but allowing themselves to calm down as they claimed their seats.

"Your Highness," Guilford approached Princess Cornelia quietly, stiffly seating himself beside her. His eyes darted around distrustingly, ready to protect the Princess should any threat appear. "Do you know why Her Majesty called so many of us here?"

Cornelia li Britannia shook her head, her eyes narrowing silently. "No." Guilford nodded beside her and they sat their in reticence, impatiently waiting for something to happen.

Their attention was drawn to a nearby commotion where they'd heard someone shout, infuriated, "For the last time, I said _no,_ Weinberg!" It was Kallen, shoulders shaking and a look of rage seething in her eyes as she glared down at the unwavering, proud Knight of Three.

"But—Kallen!" Gino exclaimed, shooting her a wounded look. Kallen didn't look the least bit moved, crossing her arms over her chest and scoffing at him. His voice took on a whining tone, "You're single! And I'm perfect for you!"

Kallen reared back as if struck, her eyes widening. _You're not perfect for me—nobody is. Because nobody is him; Lelouch._ Her expression soured and her lips tightened into a cold smile; calm and calculating, just like she'd seen Lelouch smile. "Didn't you hear me?" she sneered impatiently—it may have been cruel, but she was frustrated and his continued attempts reminded her of Lelouch, and how he'd turned her down. "No means no, Weinberg," she told him, Lelouch's eyes in her mind even as she stared down at Gino's crushed, yet determined expression.

Gino wasn't deterred for even a total of two seconds. "I'll have you yet," he vowed, smiling.

Kallen's expression soured, and for a moment it looked like she was going to retort, but before she could, the laughter of Milly Ashford reverberated through the halls. "How endearing," Milly commented with a wide grin, and when Kallen turned to greet her, she was met with both Milly and Rivalz. "Gino, Kallen."

She smiled. "Milly, Rivalz, it's been too long."

"Hasn't it?" Milly's grin turned wistful. "We've missed you, Kallen."

"Yeah? I've missed you too, Madame President." Kallen was smiling sincerely for one of the few times since _his_ death.

Rivalz pouted at her, whining, "What about me, Kallen!?" Kallen laughed, and Rivalz remarked, "So why would Her Majesty invite us here anyway?" The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but Kallen could guess how it went; _'When we're friends of the Demon Emperor?'_

Kallen flinched. _Geass,_ she thought instantly. She'd noticed instantly that they didn't _remember_ Nunnally, and it ached her heart. She didn't want to think of Lelouch ever tampering with their friends' minds, but... "Her Majesty was Le—the Demon Emperor's sister, remember?" she asked softly, averting her eyes at the blank, but acknowledging look on their faces.

"Ah, that's right. I forgot—there was only ever Rolo living with Lelouch that—"

"Why wouldn't they remember?" Cornelia cut in suddenly, her eyes narrowing. Their words had caught her interest. "I thought the Empress lived in Ashford before returning to Britannia."

"Kallen mentioned something like that too, but I only remember Rolo being there..." Rivalz blundered on obliviously, missing how Kallen's eyes widened and she glared at him furiously.

Cornelia's gaze darkened. _"Geass_?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing more than anyone could have thought possible. "He'd use it on even his—!" Before she could properly vent her fury, she stopped herself, seething but quiet.

Because she could hear as the footsteps neared and she could faintly hear the smooth rolling of a wheelchair. They turned just in time to see Zero and Empress Nunnally enter the room and flick on the remaining lights as they went. The two stopped in front of everyone summoned, and the rest waited patiently for any meaning to the impromptu meeting.

 _That Lelouch would even Geass his friends... Unthinkable—unforgivable!_ Cornelia glared, utterly disappointed with her brother—even more so than she was before, if that was even possible. _That Marianne's son could have turned out so evil..._

"Empress," Todoh called out respectfully, "why is it you've summoned us here?"

Nunnally's eyes slitted and her shoulders sagged as her thoughts returned to the two disks sitting idly in her bag. Her heart ached as she remembered their contents, and tears slithered out of her eyes as her ears recalled his soothing voice as he had once spoken to her. Swallowing the tears back with difficulty, she smiled sadly and simply said, "My brother would have been happy to see you all together, again."

Everyone's eyes widened with disgust and shock at her words. "Your brother—"

Todoh interrupted Tamaki with a stern glare, silently telling the man to shut his mouth lest the Empress become angered. "Why would you refer to the Demon Emperor so affectionately, if I may ask, empress?"

"You truly hate him?" Her quietly spoken question remained unanswered. All the Black Knights averted their eyes, unable to find it in themselves to answer while Princess Cornelia's eyes narrowed, a hint of betrayal in them.

Her previously reminiscing gaze dropped and in its place was a strangled sadness. They didn't need to voice their thoughts—their silence was answer enough. "I see." Her voice was silent, full of acceptance but disappointment at the same time. After a long pause of uncomfortable silence, a long sigh seeped out her lips and she whispered, "...Perhaps you will find out soon enough."

Their confusion and curiosity only raised at this statement even as their hearts went out and pitied her. "...What do you mean, empress?" Kallen asked slowly, her eyes narrowing as she sought her answer in the empress's eyes.

The empress only revealed a small, mischievous smirk that reminded Kallen of said empress's brother too much.

 _Yes,_ the crippled woman thought hopefully, _I hope they'll find it in their hearts to understand and believe, because I cannot rest at night knowing my brother, the brother I cruelly abandoned, is hated by those he cared for most. If only they will understand, and if only the hatred in their eyes will not appear whenever he is mentioned, then I believe I can rest that much easier._ It was her greatest wish.

Her brother had done so much and sacrificed so much, but he was so misunderstood. And she believed it was her duty, not as the Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire but rather his sister, to make sure he was hailed as a legend and a hero, instead of the Demon they wrongly thought him to be.

"You'll see," Empress Nunnally granted, hiding a small smile. "Zero," she began her command in a regal, authoritative voice that caused the visage of a certain Demon Emperor to flitter through the minds of those gathered, "Please insert the first disk." As she said this she handed him a disk neatly labeled **'R1'.**

"Disk?" Cornelia asked sharply.

Nunnally smiled faintly. "The truth," she announced, and her audience drank in her words like honey. They all leaned forward eagerly.

"Zero," Nunnally prompted a second time.

Suzaku nodded, gently prying the disk from his Empress's dainty fingers. Inside he felt his gut churning with the guilt of it. Lelouch would no doubt be horrified if he knew what was happening—Suzaku of all people knew how much Lelouch wanted everything kept under wraps. While he knew the CD was no doubt connected to the recently deceased Emperor—the _truth_ of the deceased Emperor—he couldn't help but wonder what _exactly_ the disk entailed.

Closing his eyes behind the mask, he silently sent an apology to the former Demon Emperor, his greatest friend and also enemy. _I'm so sorry... If the peace we have is destroyed because of this, I'm sorry, Lelouch._ He shuddered but inserted the disk, readying himself for whatever would show on the large screen they had prepared for the occasion.

As the screen flared to life, he sighed silently and went to stand where he belonged next to the current Empress, Nunnally.

The auditorium was all too silent, if only because no one wanted to miss what the CD entailed. The screen, much to their confusion, was dark and all too black, with a few words scripted onto it in crimson:

* * *

 **Code Geass**

 **\- Lelouch of the Rebellion -**

* * *

Above said words was what Cornelia could only assume to be the same words in the Japanese language. _Nunnally,_ she thought as her eyes narrowed suspiciously, _what are you doing?_

 **Then all was black. Like an eye opening, the darkness faded into a bright, cheery scene. There were no voices, no talking; just an endless, incessant rustling that shrieked in their ears. Sunflowers, grass and trees invaded their vision, and for a moment the screen flashed to showcase the solemn face of an emerald-haired beauty with honey-gold eyes.**

Kallen gasped. "C.C.!"

Just as soon as her eyes, grim and watching, appeared, they disappeared. Suzaku, under the mask of the persona he had taken, Zero, stifled a gasp.

 **Two boys were shown on the screen, running and frolicking in the hilly area. The first one, a young boy with curly brown hair and compassionate emerald eyes, climbed to the top of a relatively short cliff with difficulty. The second boy, this one lankier than the first, sported a head of silky raven hair and two astute amethyst eyes, struggled in his climb, arms desperately trying to grasp the top.**

Nunnally's soft purple eyes teared, and she choked back a strangled cry as she easily recognized the two. Kallen herself found her heart aching at the sight of the two youthful boys.

Tamaki looked around himself. "Who the _hell_ are they?" His voice, while usually boastful and boisterous, was toned down—albeit only slightly—for the occasion.

"That," Cornelia started solemnly, "is the Demon Emperor when he was but a boy. That is my young half-brother, and who I can only presume to be Suzaku Kururugi."

Tamaki's eyes widened. _So that's what Zero was like as a child._

"He was always quite weak and fragile," Todoh scoffed, quietly questioning in disbelief how they had all fallen to a man with little to no fighting prowess.

 **The wind blew around them and the first boy, Suzaku, turned to face his friend. Almost as easily as he had climbed up himself, Suzaku lent Lelouch a helping hand and hefted the young boy up.**

"My only question is," Todoh spoke up once more, "how was this recorded? As far as I'm aware, the two went off unfollowed."

"And the angles this video was taken from..." Nina mumbled, eyes wide with meek confusion.

"Indeed. It's all incredibly questionable," the Britannian empress of the realm affirmed.

 _And yet, I can confirm all of this really happened,_ Zero couldn't help but think uneasily. He hadn't been aware that C.C., the Grey Witch she was, had been watching them at all. The thought made him shiver, yet at the same time it brought him clarity. _I think, then, perhaps Geass is involved in all this._ He watched again and scowled unnoticeably. _No, not perhaps. Geass_ must _be involved in all of this somehow._

The thought of the treacherous power that had manipulated his princess and tainted her made him scowl. He still hated it with a passion, although his loathing of Lelouch himself had lessened after working with the man towards a selfless common goal.

 **The screen rested on a paddy-field and the irritating noise slowly dissipated. "In the year 2010 of the Common Era," a female's voice filled the quiet, "the Holy Empire of Britannia invaded Japan."**

Kallen bristled at the reminder, but the scene of Suzaku and Lelouch standing side by side like the friends they were meant to be as they looked out upon a towering mountain and a vast ocean warmed her heart slightly. _Too bad you had to betray him,_ she thought furiously, although she was still mulling over how the two had worked together again at the end.

 **The bottom of a plane came to their sight before it vanished and they were viewing a map. "The small island nation had no chance against Britannia, which was the world's last remaining superpower." The narration continued, much to the fury of Todoh—an honorable warrior—and the more irrational of the men.**

"How dare they belittle us!" the 'Miracle Man' of Itsukushima vented in aggravation, and Tamaki was quick to agree. Todoh was far too upset over what he saw as a mockery to realise he was verbally voicing his anger to the Britannians _in front_ of the Britannians.

 **The pictures and scenarios continued. "Despite its lack of natural resources, the nation of Japan had adopted a stance of nationalistic isolation. In order to take the mainland, the Britannian forced mobilized the first of the Knightmare Frames; a new kind of humanoid powered armor. Their abilities exceeded expectations, and the Japanese defenses fell one after another before the might of Project Knightmare. Japan became a territory of the Empire, and was stripped of its freedoms, rights, and even its name."**

 **"Area 11."** Tamaki tried not to voice his frustrations at the reminder of the inhuman designation they were given by the "barbaric Brits."

 **"That designation was the new name given to the defeated Japan." Beside the words stated, the cold, emotionless and ultimately indifferent voice speaking the words gave birth to an anger inside Kallen.**

Nunnally forced herself to watch as the video rolled on, panning over to the border of the island, right beside the ocean. Her heart wrenched at the sight of the marred, destroyed land her Empire had caused.

The tears pricked her eyes as she was given direct view to the downcast, distraught visage of one Suzaku Kururugi. Gone was the bright, helpful smile he had offered her brother previously; now, all that remained was a devastated frown. His shoulders were sagged and his head bowed, his dimmed emerald eyes glittering with unshed tears if one looked closely.

 **"I..."**

 **Suzaku's head lifted slightly at the sound, and his solemn eyes sought out the source.**

Despite themselves, the audience leaned closer to the screen subconsciously.

 **"I swear, Suzaku," the voice continued, and as the screen flashed to the determined, _scowling_ face of Lelouch vi Britannia they could all feel their breaths hitch, "I swear to you, so help me, I will, one day, _obliterate_ Britannia!" His raven hair swayed in the winds at his declaration, and his narrowed amethyst eyes wavered slightly but did not falter as his lips set into a resolved scowl.**

Cornelia's jaw tightened. _It's strange, really,_ she thought at the irony of it all, _Suzaku looks acceptant, but Lelouch... It's my brother, a full-blooded Britannian, who is the one who holds the most fury._

"So that is how it all began." The words tumbled out of Li Xingke's mouth grimly, and Todoh marveled at the pure determination and resolution Lelouch carried in his voice.

And as the resounding effect the exiled Prince's words held faded, the screen flashed for more Japanese characters to appear, and Cornelia endured the Japanese song that occurred afterwards with visible distaste.

Cornelia, and even Villetta, breathed a silent sigh of relief as the song ended. "That was just ridiculous," the Second Princess commented with an arrogant huff.

Although there were those who couldn't help but agree, they remained silent—not wanting to degrade their nation's music but not wanting to disagree at the same time.

A metallic symbol, resembling that of the Geass symbol only with a line going straight through the middle, appeared on the screen, and more words flashed on.

* * *

 **Stage 01**

 **The Day a Demon was Born**

* * *

 _7 years after the war,_ they all read from the screen. _2017 a.t.b._

 **"This is Alpha-3," a masculine voice reported just as an aircraft flew higher into the air. "Target has entered Delta-14 via Delta-12 at a speed of 18 kph." On screen for everyone to view was a lone truck driving on a highway—a truck Kallen recognized clearly with a small gasp.**

 **"CCT to all units. Initiating a Code-3 on floors three through five." The voice continued and Kallen realized in shock what this must be. "Capture the target!"**

"What the...?" Cornelia murmured, eyes scrunched in confusion. "What is _this_?"

Kallen remained silent, tears in her eyes. _Is this what you planned to do, Lelouch? Remind me of the past, and make me even more guilty?_ But it wasn't as if she could blame him. He was dead— _and I should have protected him, by his side._

 **"This is footage of the terrorist bombings that occurred yesterday in Osaka." A female voice reported, and they were all privy to a TV screen, broadcasting the channel where a woman was recounting the events. "Eight Britannians and fifty-one others were killed in—"**

 **In a flash they were showed a grand, luxurious room that could only belong to a noble. Directly in front of the television set were two chairs on either side of a single table. The table, in turn, contained a chess set and a timer of some sort.**

 **Surrounding the chairs, and consequently the men sitting upon them, were several men in suits and sunglasses.**

 _Bodyguards,_ Tamaki realized it a second after everyone else.

 **The timer beeped, and a tiny red light flickered on just as the TV shut off, the remote in a bodyguard's hand.**

 **"You're out of time." The statement could mean many things, but as it was directed to an elderly man it meant one thing in chess; he had no time left to think on how to proceed. "From here on you'll have to make your move in twenty seconds."**

 **The old man, formerly a noble, could only stare on hopelessly while his opponent, a luxuriously garbed nobleman, smirked and idly filed his nails.**

 **"Well, how about it?" the noble mocked.**

 **In a sudden, the double doors opened and in the midst of the blinding light you could distinctly spot the shadows of two figures, one clearly taller than the other.**

 **Relief flooded the old man's face, and as he moved to stand from his chair the noble quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "So, your substitute is finally here?"**

 **"Oh, thank goodness!" The two new arrivals walked towards the old man, who asked them kindly, "Is everything okay at school?"**

 **"Oh, a student, are you?"**

 **The light faded and the taller of the two was shown to have silky raven hair and rich amethyst eyes. The teenaged student smirked and responded in kind, "Oh, a nobleman, are you?"**

"That's us!" Rivalz suddenly screeched in recognition, his eyes wide. "But I'm sure there were no cameras or anything there!"

Li Xingke, a brilliant strategist in his own right, frowned. _Something isn't right here._

 **"How nice for you young ones, to have so much free time. So much time for regret." The nobleman smirked again. "What's your name?"**

 **"Lelouch Lamperouge," the taller student replied calmly, while the shorter one, with dark blue hair covered slightly by a helmet, came from behind and nearly screeched.**

 **"Good God, even you won't be able to win this!" Indeed, the chessboard showed an extremely difficult, if not impossible, scenario that even Cornelia had trouble comprehending despite being in the Royal Family, a family who excelled greatly at the particular board game.**

 **"Rivalz, when must we leave here to make it to our next class?" Lelouch only asked calmly, despite having Rivalz stare up at him in hopeless despair.**

 **The boy quickly composed himself. "Well, if we speed, we'll make it if we leave in twenty minutes."**

 **"Well then, I'll ask you to drive safely the entire way," Lelouch responded, a confident smile on his face no one could miss. Rivalz gasped at his friend's words, and was even more shocked when Lelouch stated, "This will be over in nine minutes."**

Cornelia's eye twitched. "Was he always this arrogant...?" Inwardly her heart cried out, feeling upset that she had missed out on so much of his childhood.

"Ah..." Rivalz remarked nervously in the presence of royalty. "Yes, mostly."

 **"Master, about that little matter…" Lelouch murmured, unaware of the effect his previous words had.**

 **"Yes, I'll talk to them." The elderly man, whom Lelouch would be filling in for, nodded.**

 **"Nine minutes?" the nobleman muttered questioningly, a hint of doubt in his voice. "Fine, twenty seconds a move."**

 **Lelouch raised the King piece, his face completely serious and no trace of playfulness in his rich amethyst orbs. A determined frown on his face, the teenager allowed, "That's plenty."**

 **"King first?" The nobleman questioned, and with a wide smirk threw his head back, laughter exiting his lips. It was clear he didn't consider Lelouch a threat, or even a worthy opponent.**

 **The seriousness faded from Lelouch's face, and he tilted his head slightly, his eyes creasing as a knowing smirk crossed his lips—a smirk that said that his decision was not a mistake at all.**

 _If the King doesn't lead…_ Rivalz recalled, his chest aching at the words of his best friend.

 _How can he expect his subordinates to follow?_ Kallen finished, unknowingly at the same time as Rivalz recounted the quote.

 **"Where's Lelouch?" a female voice questioned as the scene changed.**

Milly and Rivalz choked, a strangled sob caught in their throat as they recognised the voice of their deceased friend, Shirley Fenette.

 **"Rivalz took him along," another voice, still female although it was slightly lower, chimed in.**

 **"Gambling again?" the first voice chided, an audible disapproving hint lacing her voice.**

 **"Think it's poker this time."**

 **"They don't act like student council members at all!" the teenaged girl huffed, clearly upset with their actions. "They bet real money, you know!" It was a teenager with long, flowing hair the colour of orange, her green eyes shimmering with anger. Her fist, enclosed on a fork with a tomato, shook as she berated, "Lulu may be smart, yet he wastes his brain on stupid things!"**

 _Oh, Shirley…_ Milly mourned, her eyes glistening with unshed tears at the sight of her friend who had been taken away from them so suddenly.

Suzaku, under the accursed mask of a hero of justice, scowled, his hands clenching and teeth gritting. _Your death was not in vain, Shirley… Lelouch is no more…_ But even as he thought it, guilt swept through him and he stumbled back, tears gathering in his emerald orbs no one had seen in months.

 _This is it, Lelouch. We'll see if you are innocent of Shirley's death… or guilty._

 **"If he would just study, his grades would be better too!" Frustrated, the orangette reached up and bit the tomato, her posture stiff and carrying the air of an upset woman.**

 **Across her were two other girls, Milly with her brilliant blonde hair, and Nina. All three were wearing the school uniform and sat on stone stools on the green grass.**

 **A smirk slithered past Milly's lips, her eyes shining with a knowing, mischievous twinkle. "Oh, our little Lulu's as serious as they come. How cute!" A small chime of laughter fell from the teenager's lips, her head thrown to the side as her eyes crinkled upwards.**

Tamaki had to choke back a bout of laughter. "Lulu!" he roared, fist hitting the side of his ribcage repeatedly as though to get rid of the amusement. "You called him Lulu!"

Cornelia just looked troubled. "And he didn't order your deaths?"

Milly and Rivalz exchanged a glance and flinched. _They make him sound like a monster,_ Rivalz mourned sadly.

"Of course not," Milly answered with a small shrug. _He did everything for Rolo, and we all knew how upset his little brother would have been at cruelty. Rolo only ever wanted peace, after all._ The blonde tried to ignore what had happened in the recent months, a part of her feeling like Lelouch had not been himself at the time.

She couldn't have known that it had never been Rolo who wanted peace.

 **"Madame President…" Shirley murmured, two twin roses blooming on her cheeks.**

 **The scene changed, flying over to highroads once more, where the relatively large truck drove on.**

 **"Shit!" the driver, a man with a hat pulled over his face, cursed. "We finally pull this off and that damn Tamaki doesn't even move according to the plan!"**

"Hey!" Tamaki screeched, glaring indignantly up at the screen. "What's that supposed to mean! Damn Nagata!"

 **The shocked face of the previously overconfident noble filled the screen. His lips quivered and he stared in horror at the chessboard.**

 **"Noblemen are so great!" the familiar voice of Rivalz cheered, invading their ears. "They've got oodles of pride, so they always pay up."**

 **"You really managed to turn it around, and you set a new record of 8 minutes and 32 seconds!" Rivalz chattered on, walking behind Lelouch with a jovial swing in his step.**

"8 minutes…" Kallen murmured, awe and admiration briefly clouding her eyes.

"…and 32 seconds…?" Cornelia finished subconsciously, because even to a member of the Royal Family that was an impressive score. _Especially with how the other man managed to get himself stuck in such a scenario…_ The Second Princess abruptly realised she had finished the sentence of an _Eleven,_ whether or not Kallen was a halfbreed and the Elevens had regained their proud title of Japanese, and flushed, averting her eyes.

Nunnally watched her older sister's reaction and sighed sadly, pity filling her.

 **"My opponent didn't have much time either," Lelouch humbled in a passive tone, walking a few steps ahead of his friend.**

"What happened to all that arrogance, little brother?" Cornelia murmured under her breath, hearing what she thought to be a _hint_ of modesty in his voice, her lips pressing into a thin line at the sight of her brother so carefree.

 **"As far as opponents go, the nobles are terrible." His eyes slitted. "They're just overprivileged parasites, that's all."**

Cornelia sighed at her sibling's thoughts on the nobility, a frown creasing her eyebrows.

 **"Well then, what of the Elevens? They're _nothing_ like us Britannians!" Rivalz continued on cheerfully, his joy never diminishing. As the two students pushed through the doors, however, Rivalz faltered, staring around himself in surprise.**

"What?!" Kallen shouted indignantly, spinning around to glare at Rivalz, fury staining her eyes. "We _Elevens_ are nothing like you _Britannians,_ huh?!" She sneered, heedless of Rivalz's shame-filled gaze.

He gave her no answer, sighing. _I was just a Britannian student back then. Young, racist, idiotic... And no matter what else he did, it was Lelouch who made me see straight. Lelouch who set my morals right, and I will always owe him for that._

 **"That's horrible... All those innocent people."**

 **"Those Elevens are so scary."**

 **Suddenly, the large TV screen hanging on a tall building flickered on, showcasing the Britannian flag. "We apologize for the delay. This is an announcement from Prince Clovis, third in line to the Britannian throne."**

 **Standing regal in his majestic attire was Clovis La Britannia, his eyes stern and unforgiving—cold. His lips were fastened in a small, almost non-existing yet still noticeable, frown.**

Cornelia choked quietly, eyes tearing slightly at the sight of her deceased brother, who'd once been as innocent as the others were—but that was years ago. His name brought a cluster of emotions to the forefront of her mind, and silently, she apologized to him—apologized that she was unable to save him from his fate, but more than that, apologized that they'd all let him change so much.

 _He was just a painter, once upon a time..._ Her eyes clotted with tears, but she shook them away, never letting herself express her pain around so many others.

"Damn Britannians!" Tamaki, clearly the most outspoken of the Black Knights, hissed in outrage. _We're not just Elevens! We're people, too!_ "How dare they speak of us as though they're our betters..." A look of fury enveloped his face, and he clenched his fists tightly.

Cornelia gritted her teeth, tempted to take it up with the man, when Ohgi took the job upon himself. "Calm down, Tamaki," the man placated, placing a soothing palm on Tamaki's shoulder. "We're people, now. We have Japan back. Those people have learnt their lessons already."

Tamaki glared furiously at Ohgi but said nothing, something tugging at his heart and convincing him to stay his tongue.

 **"My friends and fellow citizens of Britannia!" Area 11's Viceroy, Clovis dramatically began, his hands slowly extending outwards as Zero might have done. "And of course, the many, many Elevens who choose to help our glorious Empire!"**

 _Now I know where Lelouch gets his dramatic flair from,_ Suzaku thought with a hint of amusement. _Perhaps all of the royal family are that way—majestic and regal, bordering on exaggeration._

 **Kouzuki Kallen watched the speech from the radio of her truck, shaking with rage. Eyes covered by the brim of her hat, she hissed lowly, "We're not Elevens! We're Japanese!" Silently, still enraged, she made a promise—a promise that one day, the Britannians would acknowledge them as such.**

* * *

 **"Do you understand? My heart is torn in two!" Prince Clovis despairingly clutched at his chest, face contorted and eyed wide. "Part of me is sad, but another part is enraged! However, I—the steward of Area 11—must stand firm against these terrorists!" The prince's voice was stern, raised and determined—defiant, even.**

 **"For this battle is one for justice! For justice, and for the happiness of all people! Now, my friends, let us offer a prayer for those we have lost."**

 **"A moment of silence!"**

 **"You going to mourn?" Rivalz asked quietly, his previous cheer almost completely gone.**

 **"What about you, Rivalz?"**

 **The student chuckled slightly. "I'd be embarrassed."**

 **"True enough." Lelouch smiled slightly in response. "Besides, our tears won't bring the dead back to life."**

 **"Oh, that's dark." Rivalz smiled questioningly up at Lelouch, and Lelouch only hummed in response.**

 **"It's all about self-satisfaction," the exiled Prince on the screen said. "No matter how hard we try, the world won't change."**

Laughter rang out from the audience, and with a start, everyone glanced at the source of the noise. To their immense shock, they found the Britannian Empress, Nunnally vi Britannia, her hand covering his mouth and a similar look of utter surprise gracing her face.

Everyone could tell, at least slightly, what she was thinking.

"This coming from the man who changed the world," Lloyd finally spoke up, saying the words the rest were thinking unanimously, an amused glimmer in his eyes as he smirked. "How amusing."

 **"That was wonderful, Your Highness!"**

 **"I wouldn't have thought you were enjoying a party just moments ago!"**

 **"I wouldn't be fit to rule over Area 11 if I weren't able to change my demeanour in an instant." Prince Clovis waved off the compliments with a quirk of his lips.**

 **"You're so confident!" another of his admirers gushed, much to Tamaki's disgust.**

 **"It's part of my duty. This confident exterior if just to please the media."**

Kallen found herself resisting a mocking scoff at the Prince's words, his words an annoyance yet also an amusement to her ears. _How we ever fell to such a theatrical rat, I'll never know._

Cornelia glowered at Kallen, tempted to throw a fist at the half-breed. _Don't you dare mock my brother!_ "I believe we shouldn't spit upon the dead, Lady Stadtfeld."

"Then what about Lord Lelouch?" It was Sayoko who spoke, unable to stop herself in a moment of utter rage. _You sneer upon his grave daily, Cornelia li Britannia._ "Do you not laugh at him, even upon his death?"

"That _monster_ is a completely different story," Cornelia sneered. "He killed Euphie, his own sister!" _He must be heartless to do so._ "Are you saying he does not deserve our hate?"

Sayoko said nothing, simply leveling a hard, cold glare upon the princess. _Soon enough, Cornelia, you'll see my lord's greatness._

"Don't worry, Sayoko-san," Gino assured her, "You're no longer under his reign. He has no power over you anymore—he's dead. You don't have to fear him any longer."

It took all Sayoko had to stop herself from stomping over towards the Britannian soldier and give him a piece of her mind. Her rage boiled, simmering beneath the surface, and it took Jeremiah and Anya's combined efforts to calm her down.

"Getting angry will do no good, Sayoko." Jeremiah soothed, whispering into her ear, even while his own fury bubbled up. "We'll have the last laugh."

Anya said nothing, thinking of the truth, and how wrong everyone else were. It reminded her of when she'd been deluded of her own memory, and she couldn't help but pity them.

"Oh, look!" Tamaki called out with a humorous laugh. "It's Diethard!"

Indeed the Britannian reporter was on the screen, leaning on the wall while holding a book. It seemed some time had gone by while they'd been speaking.

 **"Damn flag-waving patriots…" Just as soon as Diethard murmured so, a portly, rather rotund man hurried over, haste clear in his movements.**

 **"Your Highness!" It was General Bartley. The good General whispered into the Prince's ear about an issue yet unclear to the audience, and Diethard sighed. The reporter walked off, ready to leave, when the Prince's angered voice rang out:**

 **"Idiot!"**

 **Diethard was clearly intrigued; just what had happened to get a rise out of the actor?**

 **"The police believe it's just medical equipment…" Bartley muttered, unease on his face. "If we mobilise the entire army, then—"**

 **"Dispatch the troops! The Knightmares too!" Clovis cut in with a glare, a hint of panic laced in his voice, and the audience couldn't help but wonder just what had happened.**

 **The deployment began with Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu, both Britannians dropping into their Knightmares as they were given orders.**

"Coach," Rivalz began curiously, confusion staining his voice, "I didn't know you were a soldier?"

Villetta gave no reply, thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to say anything about Charles zi Britannia Geassing the students of Ashford Academy to believe that she was just a normal teacher—much less that Charles had a Geass to begin with.

 _Oh, what a fool I was,_ Jeremiah wept for his idiocy, silently glaring at his past foolish and discriminative self. He was all the more thankful to his Lord, who'd allowed him to see the truths of the world.

 **"Say…" Lelouch and Rivalz were on the way back to school, Rivalz driving at a moderate pace, as Lelouch had instructed him to do so. "Why'd you move your King first?"**

 **"If the King doesn't lead, how can he expect his men to follow?" Lelouch answered not with a statement but a question, not a single hint of emotion on his face.**

 **"Hey…"**

 **"What?"**

 **"Do you want to become a CEO or something, Lelouch?" Rivalz questioned.**

 **"No way," Lelouch answered with a short laugh, as if disbelieving of Rivalz's thoughts. "Such grandiose dreams lead to self destructi—"**

 _This coming from the CEO of the Black Knights,_ Cornelia thought bitterly. _And he was right; being the CEO of the Order certainly condemned him to doom._

 **A vehicle behind them beeped loudly, cutting Lelouch off. Both boys looked behind them sharply, only to be stunned by the sight of a large, green truck.**

 **"What the hell?!" Rivalz yelled frantically, desperately trying to control his own transport's movement in his panic.**

 **"Damn leisurely drivers!" Nagata cursed angrily.**

"That was you?!" Kallen and Rivalz shouted at the same time, staring at each other oddly.

Kallen seemed to glare at him, before finally managing a smirk. "Well, now that I know you're such a bad driver, there's no way I'm going anywhere in that ridiculous bike of yours!"

"Well, you _were_ speeding," Rivalz pointed out crossly.

 **In his panic, Nagata accidentally swerved the wrong way, his hands desperately trying to regain control of the wheel. "No! That's—" Kallen shouted just before their truck went off path and crashed against a nearby building.**

 **"Um… Was that our fault?" Rivalz mumbled sheepishly, turning over to a stop so he and Lelouch could easily see the crash site of the truck.**

 **"No way," Lelouch answered even as his eye blinked, slowly, wide and surprised.**

 **"Central command! They seem to have crashed into the new VO building." A flying vehicle circled above the building as he reported to his superiors.**

 **"Wait! This matter is now under military jurisdiction. Pull your men out."**

 **"General?"**

* * *

 **Walking through the halls of the Government Bureau of Area 11 was General Bartley Asprius. _We have to recover it at any cost!_ Beads of sweat dripped down his face, lips stretched into a nervous frown as his eyes narrowed.**

"It would seem this… video transcends even reality," Lloyd remarked briefly, having noted that the good General's lips had not been moving even slightly. "We can hear even the thoughts of these characters… How interesting."

"It's probably just voiceover," Tamaki scoffed.

"What I want to know is what the 'it' pertains to," Zero wondered aloud, although a sinking feeling in his stomach told him he wouldn't like the answer to his questions. "What were they trying so hard to recover that they'd bury the entire ghetto?"

"They said it was poison gas," Gino said softly as his eyes narrowed, confusion overtaking him. _There's more to this than meets the eye,_ he thought. _What's going on here?_

"They did, didn't they?" Zero questioned to no one in particular, his voice quiet and oddly distant. For a moment, his blood ran cold as he realised something he'd been far too foolish to realise before; there had never been any poison gas. _Why did I never question that?_ He thought to himself, brows knitted in confusion. _With no poison gas… What killed the Japanese?_

In that moment, he felt his chest pool with horror as the answer came to him.

 _Britannians. Britannian soldiers._

 **In his line of sight, as he neared the area where the truck had crashed into the walls of the VO building, Lelouch could see tiny speckles of shining, green light. It was like dust—glimmering dust, no less—floating astray in the winds. They floated into the air, moving from the roof of the truck, and Lelouch removed his helmet for a better view.**

 **"What's that?" Lelouch wondered quietly, curiosity staining his voice.**

 **"Hey, Lelouch, it looks like our energy line is broken." Lelouch ignored Rivalz's claim, simply staring at the place where the light had gathered, amethyst eyes slightly narrowed in confusion.**

 **Slowly, the lights flew together, tightening and creating a shape—a person. "Yeah…" Lelouch returned thoughtlessly, still focused on the image he could now see, made of green and speckles. "What's that?" he finally thought to repeat, louder this time, as he removed the glasses he'd used during the trip on his friend's vehicle.**

"What _is_ that?" Tamaki wondered curiously, and Jeremiah sighed.

"Has the Demon Emperor gone insane?" Cornelia muttered, something akin to blind hope festering in her chest. "Perhaps he was not himself when he…?" She could not bring herself to say the words, but they slipped into her mind all the same; _when he pulled the trigger._

"Is he seeing a fairy of some sort?" Rivalz sniggered, laughing quietly to himself as Milly sent him a reprimanding look, reminding him he was in the presence of royalty.

 **"Hey! Over here!"**

 **Lelouch's head turned to see a crowd of Britannians gathered around, all lined and pressed to the bars to see the commotion below. Some even had their phones out, no doubt filming the situation currently occurring.**

 **"What the hell? Was there an accident?" a woman asked, unheard and unanswered.**

 **Even as the masses of Britannia gathered to take pictures of the crash site, as well as video the ongoing events, one murmured from the crowds, "Someone should help them…"**

 **Lelouch's violet eyes narrowed and for a moment, bitter fury filled him. "Idiots, all of them." He glared at them all, and then turned around, tossing his helmet into a component of Rivalz's motorbike as he jogged away.**

 **"Hey! Wait!" Rivalz called out after his friend in vain, watching hopelessly as Lelouch ran over to the truck recklessly.**

 **"Heh, looks like some student's coming to the rescue," a nobleman commented idly from the sidelines, watching with a snort as Lelouch neared the truck.**

"For a moment, I could almost delude myself to believing his innocence and selflessness," Ohgi commented casually, unaware of the narrowing of Jeremiah and Sayoko's eyes.

 _These fools will learn their place soon enough, Master Lelouch,_ Sayoko promised. _Especially if this disk truly contains the truth._

 **"Someone call the police or something."**

 **The crowds were still murmuring, yet Lelouch paid them no heed. "Hey, are you alright?" He called into the truck, trying to find way to enter the truck as he gazed at a metal pillar irritably.**

 **"What he's doing is right, but I wish he'd stop." Rivalz complained with a sigh, pushing his motorbike, along with its sidecar, along. "He's gonna be late to class; all because of his ridiculous pride." Of course, that was all Rivalz cared about—for now.**

 **"Nagata." Kallen prodded quietly. "Nagata!" At the volume of her voice, he shifted slightly.**

 **"Hey, can you hear me?!" Lelouch called out loudly, having climbed up the ladders on the side of the truck. Suddenly he froze, eyes widening, as a voice intruded his mind:**

 ** _"I've found you."_ It was a female voice, speaking to Lelouch in a whisper—speaking familiarly, as though she knew him. _"My…"_**

"Is he hearing voices now, too?" Chiba wondered with a scoff, and she went unanswered as the others were all far too preoccupied with watching the truth unfold before their eyes.

 **Lelouch seemed to regain his senses, because he returned to reality with a short gasp. He looked around himself quickly, asking quietly to himself, "Where are you?"**

 **Shaking it off, he peered back down into the hole in the roof, shouting, "Are you in there!?" Suddenly, the truck began to move, speeding off before Lelouch could react and throwing him into the truck.**

 **Lelouch rolled in the truck, looking up in alarm. "H-Hey, stop it!" he cried out, but nobody heard.**

"H-He was in there!?" Kallen shrieked, eyes widening. _How did I not notice?_ "T-The entire time?"

"Oh, so _that's_ what happened!" Rivalz exclaimed in stunned surprise, staring at the visage of his friend.


	3. Stage 01: The Day a Demon was Born Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.**

 **A/N: As promised, here is the second part to Stage 01. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Stage 01: The Day a Demon was Born**

\- Part 2 -

* * *

Last Time on The Truth Hurts More:

 ** _Shaking it off, he peered back down into the hole in the roof, shouting, "Are you in there!?" Suddenly, the truck began to move, speeding off before Lelouch could react and throwing him into the truck._**

 ** _Lelouch rolled in the truck, looking up in alarm. "H-Hey, stop it!" He cried out, but nobody heard._**

 _"H-He was in there!?" Kallen shrieked, eyes widening. How did I not notice? "T-The entire time?"_

 _"Oh, so that's what happened!" Rivalz exclaimed in stunned surprise, staring at the visage of his friend._

* * *

Now on The Truth Hurts More:

 **The truck careened off slowly, and Rivalz muttered, "Wow, a hit and run..."**

 **Hitting a bump, the truck stumbled slightly and inside, Lelouch looked around himself. "Man, they should put a ladder in here..."**

 **"Surrender!"**

 **Lelouch's eye darted over to where he'd heard the voice from, starting in shock. There was no one, but the voice bellowed out, "We have you surrounded!" The voice boomed out from speakers, and Lelouch's skin bristled warily.**

 **"Stop the vehicle immediately!" From the bottom of the flying vehicle the barrel of a weapon extended outwards. Shots rang out and the truck wavered, moving uncontrollably. "Our next shot will hit you! Stop immediately!"**

 **"The army's here! What're we gonna do!?" Nagata fretted, snarling silently.**

 **Kallen, his companion, only smirked in response, fiercely removing her hat with a flick of the hand. "Have you forgotten? That's what I'm here for!"**

 **Driving into a tunnel, Nagata acknowledged her silently. Inside, unbeknownst to the pair, Lelouch worried. "It's dangerous outside. This doesn't look good." With a frown, he examined the closed canister near him, wondering what it held inside.**

 **"My cell phone..." He muttered, just in time to hear a door slide open. Darting behind a wall, he held his breath, watching as a woman with spiky red hair strode in.**

 **She shrugged off the white coat she'd been using, calling out over her shoulder without looking back, "Can you get into the subway via the Azabu route?" She left her coat and the handheld communicator pocketed inside in the truck, heading upwards.**

 **"Kallen, let's use it here, why not?" Nagata called back desperately as Kallen headed up the stairs. She paused slightly as if surprised, and then shouted in retaliation, "That would mean a bloodbath!"**

 **"Yeah, you're right..." Nagata murmured in response, defeated.**

"The poison gas?" Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation gasped in concern. "He wanted to use the poison gas?" _All those civilians!_

"Yeah..." Kallen murmured softly, remembering that day. She briefly wondered what had happened to Nagata and frowned, deducing the Britannians had gotten to him. _Damn Britannians..._ She glowered, unnoticed by everyone. _I'm sorry, Nagata._

"Still," she tried, attempting to push away the rush of grief. "I can't believe he was there all that time. And to think I never knew..." _Is this how it all began, then? How Lelouch rose from the shadows and made his first move against Britannia?_

"You didn't realize he was there even though he was in the same place as you?" Cornelia scoffed mockingly, either ignoring or unaware of Kallen's narrowed glare and gritted teeth.

 _Like you could have done any better,_ Kallen thought scathingly but chose not to respond.

 **On the screen, Kouzuki Kallen stalked off into another compartment, Lelouch's narrowed amethyst eyes boring into her back after her.** ** _I've seen her before..._**

 **Back in the streets, Rivalz called out for his classmate, looking around in confusion. "Lelouch, where are you? Come on, we've got to get to school!"**

Rivalz flushed in slight embarrassment, looking away from the screen where he was searching for Lelouch.

Kallen sniggered quietly, and Lloyd remarked, "Your friend was being carted off by terrorists and all you could do was ask if he was going to _school,_ really?"

"How could I have known!?" Rivalz protested, looking away irritably. When he saw Milly laughing quietly beside him, a pout graced his lips. "I didn't know!" He complained again.

From in front of him, Gino swiveled around with a kind, although amused, grin. "I hear you, man."

"I never know anything!" Rivalz whined, his complaint falling on ignorant ears.

Except for Gino's ears, of course. "Me too." The Knight of Three agreed with a frown. "No one tells me anything in this place."

 _You'll both find out about Geass soon, no doubt._ Kallen thought from where she sat nearby, looking away quietly, unseen.

 **"The target is heading south; towards the ghetto." A voice reported from overhead, sighting the truck driving on a wide road.**

 **"All right, get them!"**

 **"Yes, sir!" Automatically, the rifle of a gun poked out of the vehicle once more, shooting off in rapid succession.**

 **To the horrified surprise of those piloting the aircraft, the back doors of the truck opened, a** ** _Slash Harken_** **leaving its dark depths and flying straight into one of the three soaring aircrafts.**

 **"Slash Harken!?" A visored soldier exclaimed in shock as the weapon slammed into the aircraft flying by his side, watching with terror as the transport exploded into pieces of shrapnel.**

 **By the time the truck's doors had fully opened, they could see a sight that frightened them; a fully operational Knightmare Frame. It was a red Glasgow, merely third generation, but it was a Knightmare regardless and the prospect petrified the soldiers.**

 **"A Knightmare!" The same soldier who'd spoken previously saw it fit to open his mouth again, crying out in disbelief.**

 **The red Frame maneuvered itself on the streets expertly, managing to keep balance despite the oldness of its model. Clearly the pilot was little short of an ace, if not one.**

 **"Crap! These guys are** ** _real_** **terrorists!" Lelouch shouted, banging the sides of his curled fists on the closing metal slabs that had previously opened to let the Knightmare out.**

The audience reveled at the sight of the cold Demon Emperor screaming with fear staining his voice. It stifled them, for a moment.

"I still can't believe I never realized he was there!" Kallen moaned disappointedly, although inwardly she was truly worrying, _What if that had actually been a stuck-up Britannian spy? We would have been screwed!_

 **"You fellas know full-well what this badass mother can do!" Kallen sneered aggressively, harshly slamming a lever forward to veer around and avoid the many bullets raining down on her Frame.**

 **"Pull back. I'll take care of this." It was a new voice, coming from the inside of a Sutherland Frame. The Sutherland was being carried by a flying white transport, carried over the streets until it hovered horizontally above the Glasgow. "I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic out of a scrap heap. An over the hill Glasgow is no match for my Sutherland!" The pilot exclaimed as the Sutherland was dropped off.**

 **He landed skillfully, the Sutherland never faltering. Inside the Frame, a man with teal hair and amber eyes was smirking, commenting tauntingly, "Not to mentioned a filthy Eleven who spurns the compassion of our glorious Emperor!"**

 **With that said, he instantly raised the gun of his Sutherland and opened fire, watching with glee as a round of bullets slammed into the Glasgow, making it recoil.**

Her slap connected the same time his ammunition hit the Glasgow on the screen. Shaking it off, Jeremiah gazed up, truthfully unsurprised to find Kallen glaring down at him hatefully.

Shaking with rage, Kallen composed herself after a few seconds and hissed, "And yet you lost against me, a mere _Eleven,_ didn't you!?" Jeremiah recoiled as if struck.

"You were so determined in your loyalty to royalty," Cornelia said offhandedly.

"That's right." Kallen spat, her eyes full of distrust. "Why did you switch sides to fight with us _Elevens?_ "

Jeremiah didn't answer her, eyes full of regret and shame. With a hard glare, Kallen stomped off, sitting closer to him than she did before, as if to keep an eye on him.

 _I joined to serve His Majesty,_ Jeremiah thought quietly, a small, mirthless smile on his face. _I joined so I could follow the Prince's greatness._

Beside him, Sayoko reached out and laid a hand on the back of his palm, pressing onto his skin for a moment to reassure him.

 **"Kallen!" It was Nagata, screaming into his communicator frantically. "We should split up! We can't both risk being killed—run for it!"**

 **"But—!" Kallen tried to argue, even as another Sutherland twirled around in the air and landed on the road in front of the truck, firing upon it as it swerved to try and regain its balance.**

 **"Simple-minded Eleven," Villetta smirked, disdain in her voice.**

"You...!" Chiba shot Villetta a dangerous glare, her eyes seething and burning with writhing hatred. "'Simple-minded'?" She imitated the married woman. "We Japanese were a modern nation! How dare you insult us! I'll show you _simple-minded,_ you ignorant ass!"

Villetta looked away in embarrassment. Ohgi tried to defend his wife, arguing, "The past is the past, Chiba. What matters is that she's changed."

Jeremiah glowered at them unnoticeably, hating Ohgi for his hypocrisy against Lelouch—and for betraying Lelouch. _You know nothing about what he's like. He didn't need to change; he was good already. Besides, you would have gotten what was coming for you—you betrayed him, for Prince Schneizel no less._

 **Trying to fire with her Glasgow, Kallen found, to her dismay, that it would not work. "No way, it's stuck!"**

 **"Second-hand crap!" Her original opponent sneered across her. Just as he'd said so, Kallen chose another option and managed to detach the metal wrist, watching as it soared towards her opponent for only a split second.**

 **She took the distraction it served and rushed away, Jeremiah close on her heels. "I'll admit, I really like your spirit. However..."**

 **In the back of the truck, Lelouch sat, staring at the bright screen of his phone.** ** _No cell phone reception. We're out of range... The darkness and the feel of the road would suggest we're in the old subway system. I don't know where we're going, so it'd be dangerous to leave here. Hmm... Okay, I got it. I'm not big on the military, but I'll take their protection._**

 **His fingers curled around the black communicator of the terrorists'.** ** _If I give them a terrorist communicator... Oh wait, I forgot._**

 **Rivalz was pushing his motorbike, along with its sidecar, down the pavement. "Some friend, leaving me behind like that!"**

 **The scene cut to show a man with silvery lavender hair wearing a lab coat, and the military General, Bartley. "Ah-ha!" The scientist exclaimed, leaning in.**

"Hey, that's me!" Lloyd cried out, pointing at his own figure on the screen with childlike excitement. "Aren't I just the coolest? I'm completely willing to bet I'll be the crowd's favorite character!" Smiling wickedly, he turned a mocking look on Rakshata. "Do you see; I appear before you do. I'm _so_ much more important."

Rakshata glared. "I play a larger part than you!"

"Excuse me, I created the Lancelot, which is piloted by Suzaku! He becomes the Knight of Zero—and, well, dominates the entire show! I clearly affect the play more than you do!"

"Your _Knight of Zero_ lost against Kallen, who piloted _my_ Guren; my creation!" Rakshata smirked triumphantly. "My Knightmare is _clearly_ the better child!"

"You _dare_ insult my Lancelot!?" Lloyd roared, and distantly, Zero winced, raising a gloved hand to his right ear, remembering the many times Lloyd had shouted and cheered and broke his eardrums. "My machine is clearly superior!"

Rakshata rolled her eyes. "If the Lancelot was truly the better machine, then please explain how your Knightmare _lost against mine._ " She laughed victoriously, rejoicing in the frustrated look on Lloyd's face.

"You're right," Cornelia whispered to Guilford, shooting an irritated look at the bickering two. "Commoners are _definitely_ insane."

"They likely drove the Demon Emperor to his insanity, as well."

Cornelia sighed. "And treating this like an actual show? Like entertainment, even though it's our lives?" She scoffed.

Guilford nodded agreeably.

 **The General's eye twitched. "What are you doing?"**

 **"Looking at a man who blundered, am I right?"**

 **"Why, you—!"**

 **"You really screwed this one up." The scientist, Lloyd Asplund, continued on, heedless of the General's fury. "Terrorists came along and stole whatever you and Prince Clovis were secretly working on. Retrieving it is simple but you want to sweep out all of their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go and you'll find their hideout too..."**

 **The bespectacled scientist smiled widely and turned, revealing a purple-haired woman wearing an orange and green suit. "Congratulations!" Lloyd exclaimed, and the woman smiled shyly. "Your reasoning was spot on!"**

 **Cecile Croomy nervously stuttered, "It was nothing, I just thought it was strange..."**

 **"All right, what's going on? What does the Special Core want with this?" Bartley thundered impatiently.**

 **"I'm** ** _merely_** **saying I want to assist with the clean up."**

 **"To assist?" Bartley questioned suspiciously, glaring at the two A.S.E.E.C. members.**

 **"Excuse me, but what on earth have they just stolen?"**

 **Bartley's face darkened, a grim scowl slithering onto his lips. "Chemical weapons. In other words, poison gas."**

 _Poison gas. Poison gas._ The more he thought about it the more the feeling of dread sunk in his stomach. He was such a fool. **_Poison_** _gas? Could I have forgotten so easily?_ He had _been_ there when the capsule open—he _knew_ there was _no_ poison gas.

And yet had he ever questioned the officials when they claimed that all the civilians were killed by 'poison gas'—poison gas that didn't even exist?

Suzaku could have slapped himself.

 ** _"The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to retrieve the weapons that they've stolen. Investigate the subway system that runs through the eleven residential district in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Report in the moment you've spotted them. Recovery of the target will be handled by us, the Royal Guard. You people bear the title of Honorary Britannia's now but you were born Elevens. Therefore, the stench of these monkeys ought to be a familiar one. If you want to earn the right to carry arms, then show some results! Here is your opportunity to show your loyalty to Britannia!"_**

 **"Yes, my Lord!"**

"Shame, isn't it, how submissive the Honoraries became?" Tamami remarked sullenly. Kallen shot him a look.

 **"A-An accident?" Lelouch murmured in alarm when the truck jerked to a sudden stop. "Or else…"**

 **In the driver seat, Nagata struggled to get the truck moving. "The tire's stuck." Gritting his teeth, he reached down and shakily flicked a switch. "Please somebody… find me."**

 **The truck doors slid open, and Lelouch ran to hide out of sight.**

 **A soldier gazed into the truck through his helmet.** ** _"404 has sighted the target,"_** **he reported as instructed.**

 ** _"Roger. Prepare for recovery!"_**

 **The soldier focused his gazer on the large capsule, and gasped quietly when he saw the lean figure of a male crouching beside the capsule. He ran towards the truck.**

 **"Now I can use this chance to climb up," Lelouch sighed with relief, his hands grabbing hold of the capsule. Before he could get his footing, though, he heard the the wind roar behind him and turn desperately, frantically flinging his arms in front of him.**

 **All he saw was grey before a foot slammed into him and he tumbled backwards, slamming onto the floor. He grunted. "A-Are you Britannian?"**

 **"That's enough mindless murder!"**

 **"Wait, I'm not one of—"**

 **"Planning to use poison gas? Don't play dumb with me!"**

 **Lelouch struggled for a few more seconds before he shouted, "Get off me!" He flung his leg out in a desperate attempt and the infantryman leapt backwards. "I'm not here by choice. And if that's poison gas, it was made by** ** _Britannia,_** **wasn't it!?"**

 **"My God…" The infantryman suddenly gasped, whispering in shock.**

 **"Mindless murder… Then why don't you just obliterate Britannia!" Lelouch demanded, his voice tainted by fury and hatred.**

 **"…Lelouch." Lelouch stopped in his tracks and the infantryman reached up and removed his helmet. "It's me, Suzaku." Suzaku smiled.**

 **Lelouch gasped, shocked. Memories of a time before the invasion and then the aftermath invaded him. "You… You became a Britannian soldier?"**

 **"Yeah, and what about you? You're a—"**

 **"What are you saying!?"**

 **Before Suzaku could reply, in a flash of light, the gas capsule began to open. Lelouch tensed and moved backwards slightly, and Suzaku leapt into action. A second later Suzaku's infantry helmet was pressed over Lelouch's face, covering his mouth.**

 **"That's not poison gas… What is it?"**

 **Suzaku was right. In no way was it poison gas.**

"NO WAY!" Kallen screeched. "C.C.!" Her voice was a mixture of disbelief and anger. "That _witch—_!" _What is she playing at!?_

"Who is this C.C.!?" Gino demanded in frustration, heaving out an audible, annoyed sigh as he faced Kallen. "You _know_ her!?" _Why don't I know anything?_

Kallen spared him a brief glance but did not respond, her mind raging. _C.C. is the poison gas we captured? How!?_

"My brother…" _Clovis, what were you up to? Why is this… woman—C.C., evidently—inside the capsule you claimed contained poison gas?_

 **"...in all the confusion, I left it in my coat." Kallen, lounging in the seat of her Glasglow, explained.**

 ** _"It's okay, the Glasgow's circuitry is usable. So, were we right?"_**

 **"I think so. I bet it's poison gas like intelligence said."**

 ** _"And Nagata?"_**

 **"I don't know. I think he made it underground."**

Kallen turned away, tears glimmering in her eyes, unnoticed in the dim light. _I'm sorry, Nagata. If I'd been more worried that you weren't safe, there's a chance we could have gotten to you in time._

 **"Tell me the truth, Suzaku. Poison gas—this girl?"**

 **"Hey, it's what they told us in the briefing, I swear."**

 **A light flicked on and Suzaku jumped to his feet with a start. "Stinking monkey," a Britannian soldier sneered. "Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you!"**

 **"But sir, I was told this was poison gas!"**

 **"How dare you question orders!"**

 ** _This is bad, a poisonous situation. Which would pose a threat to Suzaku's superiors if it were unleashed._** **Lelouch only vaguely recognized the Royal Guards' uniform.**

 **"However, in light of your outstanding military achievements I'm going to be lenient." The captain handed over a gun. "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist."**

Nunnally gasped, her hand flying to her mouth instantly as she choked back a strangled sob. _Lelouch-nii-sama,_ she thought in despair as she realized just how close her brother had been to death that day—and she hadn't even known. Shaking, she wondered what Suzaku would do, and hoped dearly that he hadn't changed so much from the bright, loyal young boy she'd known.

The Knight of Seven was not that young boy, but perhaps he'd been able to grasp enough of his young self to spare her brother.

 _Lelouch..._ Kallen mourned silently. _Britannia... Britannia is rotten._

Unlike the two grieving women, Jeremiah and Sayoko _knew_ the truth—knew what had happened. Even then their hearts squeezed in fear, to finally be given the honor of witnessing what had truly happened that day. _Suzaku... At the very least his highness lived through that ordeal._

Suspiciously, Jeremiah snuck a glance at Suzaku, pushing away his broiling anger at the Royal Guardsmen. _Those fools. They are elite units meant to protect the royal family, yet they point their barrels at one of Charles's children. How dare they threaten my prince._

 **"But he's not a terrorist! He's a civilian who got caught up in all of this!"**

 _Suzaku..._ Nunnally thought hopefully.

Inside his mask, Zero closed his eyes regretfully, gritting his teeth. _Lelouch... We were best friends once. So much I readily risked my life for you. As much as I love Euphie... I know I would do it all over again. For the friendship we once shared._

 **"You insubordinate little—! That's an order! Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia!?" The captain roared, eyes ablaze with fury.**

 **"Yes, but—" Suzaku hesitated. Lelouch's eyes narrowed and he scowled, almost resigned, when Suzaku muttered, "I can't." Lelouch gasped, in shock but mainly horror of what was to come.**

 ** _"What_** **?" The Royal Guard captain snarled—a frightening snarl.**

 **"I won't do it, sir." Suzaku turned and gave Lelouch a sincere smile. "I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your orders, sir."**

 **After a short, silent pause, the captain replied casually, "Very well." He put his barrel to Suzaku's back and the Japanese turned, eyes widening.**

 **A loud, clapping gunshot followed after that echoed in Lelouch's ears. "Suzaku!" He shouted, leaning forward, eyes wide and horrified.**

"SUZAKU!" Without catching herself, the Empress leaned towards the screen, her voice full of horror. Her hand flew to her heart, trying to calm herself. _He lived, Nunnally. He went to Ashford. Just remember that, and... Oh god, Lelouch, Suzaku._ She remembered that they lived but wondered how much pain they endured.

"Suzaku..." Kallen watched her rival fall regretfully and a little bitterly.

Milly and Rivalz watched Suzaku, eyes wide with confusion and horror. "Milly..." Rivalz started slowly, unsurely.

She didn't move from her position or even look his way, frozen in shock, but she asked, "Yes, Rivalz?"

"Suzaku _did_ attend Ashford _after_ the Shinjuku Incident, right?"

After a few seconds, Milly managed to nod, chuckling weakly. She said, "That's Sir Kururugi to you, Rivalz."

Cornelia turned away. _You sacrificed yourself willingly for my brother, Sir Kururugi. You were truly a worthy knight, at least before you abandoned my sister's legacy and followed the Demon Emperor to your grave._ She gritted her teeth, remembering her sister's unfailing trust in Suzaku, and how he'd betrayed her memory by pledging his loyalty to the boy who'd killed her.

 **Suzaku collapsed onto the floor lifelessly. "Well Britannian schoolboy, not a good time to cut class." The captain interjected into the silence coldly, a hint of a smirk in his voice. "Collect the girl! After you've secured her, kill the student."**

 **"Yes, my Lord!"**

 **Lelouch wondered how they could be take a life so remorselessly, thoughtlessly. He realized this was** ** _Britannia,_** **the nation his father controlled and shook his head slightly.**

 _Oh my god, brother,_ Nunnally fretted. How could she not be worried? He was cornered by at least a dozen trained soldiers—elite soldiers—and his physical aptitude was nothing to boast of. He had no seeming hope for survival, and yet... He'd survived, hadn't he?

Survived long enough to become Zero.

 **Inside the truck, Nagata struggled. He opened a slot and fought to reach a switch. "Death to... Britannia." He held his finger over the switch. "Long live.. Japan!" He grunted and flicked it. The truck burst into flames.**

Even though it was cruel of her, the Empress breathed out a sigh of relief. Nagata may have died, but he'd let her brother get away, and she was eternally grateful. _Japan is free, Nagata-san. You can rest peacefully now. The Japanese has their peace._

 **"They got away? And you call yourself the Royal Guard!?" General Bartley roared into the radio line.**

 ** _"Uh, forgive me my lord, the blast was mainly direct upward but the—"_**

 **"Why the hell do you think I only told you people about this!?"**

 **At Bartley's unrelenting fury, the Royal Guardsman flinched and stuttered,** ** _"We—we'll continue the investigation."_**

 **"The plan has moved forward to the next phase," Prince Clovis drawled from his throne, his eyes narrowing lazily.**

 **"But..." Bartley turned around frantically from where he stood hunched over the map and table, staring at Clovis in disbelief. "But your highness!"**

 **"If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited." The prince explained guiltlessly—almost carelessly. "Tell them back home we're carrying out a plan for urban renewal here. As Clovis, third prince of the Empire, I** ** _command_** **you—destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"**

"Brother Clovis!" Nunnally gasped in horrified shock, her face a painting of betrayal and grief. _Clovis... Have you changed so much?_ A battle raged in her heart, and her curled fists wrung by her side. _How could you, Clovis!?_

"Prince.. Clovis?" Nina Einstein stared up at the deceased prince in confusion. _What... What is this? Prince Clovis... You killed them?_ She knew they were Elevens—subhumans, as she once wholeheartedly believed—but she remembered Suzaku, an Eleven she'd worked with who'd gained the Emperor's favor.

She trusted Britannia wholeheartedly—the Britannia Charles had ruled over—but seeing one of Area 11's Viceroys coldly and mercilessly order an entire ghetto full of people to death…

…this day she learnt that Lelouch wasn't the only merciless royal Area 11 had ever been involved with. _Euphie... Princess Euphie was the only one who was truly good, wasn't she?_

"That—that bastard!" Kallen roared fiercely, jumping up and staring at the screen, fire burning in her eyes. Tamaki joined her in her fury, swinging his fists at the screen, and at Clovis, who stood uncaring and resolute.

"There... was no poison gas at all, was there, brother?" Cornelia murmured. She grieved the loss of the brother she loved and knew—the one that had changed into this monster she saw on the screen, and didn't stop the Japanese from spitting on his grave.

Guilford laid a hand on her shoulder, bearing her pain. "Princess..."

She shook him off, shuddering as she realized that she was just as bad as Clovis. Her arms wrapping around herself, she held herself up and comforted herself so she would not fall to tears.

Silently, she wondered how her own victims had felt as she'd mowed them down as though they were common household flies.

 _Oh, Euphie... Forgive me. Your sister is nothing more than a villain._

 **Sutherlands flew out and into the ghetto, gunning down the streets. The soldiers remorselessly killed all men, women, grandparents, and child. There were people older than seventy and those younger than seven littering the floor.**

 **The soldiers were merciless.**

 **From inside a building, an elderly man stared out of the window and down into the streets where the massacre occurred. He stared down, terrified and hopeless. "W-why are they doing this!?"**

 **"Dear, let's go." His wife coaxed him, and they headed for safety—where was safe, though?**

 **The old couple were shot only seconds later, their door forced down by soldiers and their blood splattered on the wall. "Okay, let's reap the next floor." It was disgusting how easily soldiers could kill, and not even be haunted.**

Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation whimpered, frightened and nauseous. She felt sick of all the blood. "Xingke..."

Li Xingke glanced at her. He saw the terror in her eyes and understood wordlessly. Reaching out, he let her grab his hand tightly, squeezing it to her chest as she sobbed.

Kaguya looked away, both from the murder of her fellow kinsmen and the grief of her best friend. _What have we done? We've always had a habit of trusting the royal family... Even when they've given us plenty of proof why we shouldn't._

 _I can't help but feel that the only one worth trusting was Lelouch... And at the end, he was the one we betrayed._

 ** _"Those piece of trash aren't good enough for the Britannian Empire. Kill them all, to the last man!"_**

 **Jeremiah Gottwald smirked from inside his Knightmare. "Naturally."**

 ** _"Supervisor Jeremiah, General Bartley requests that you take command of the second unit—"_** **A man's voice came over the intercom.**

 **"Bartley has staff officers." Jeremiah cut in indifferently. "I haven't had this much fun on the front lines in ages!"**

Jeremiah looked away from the man he'd once been, his stomach curling in disgust. _What the hell was I doing!?_ He wondered, horrified with himself. He'd _enjoyed_ killing.

That was the worst of the worst.

Sayoko didn't seem to care. She nodded at him and gave him a small, understanding smile. "Sayoko..." His voice was full of regret. He wondered how on Earth she could trust him so much when he'd killed—and reveled in killing—her fellow Japanese.

From his other side Anya offered him her hand.

He grabbed it like a lifeline, and thanked the Gods he had people who truly understood him and accepted him for everything he was and everything he wasn't.

 _Thank you for this chance... Lelouch._

 **Clovis looked over at the battlefield and smirked.**

Kallen wanted nothing more than to punch his lights out for that one smirk.

 **From inside the subway systems you could hear the explosions and feel the shaking of the ground. It was a frightening reality.**

 **"What the hell are you!?" Lelouch's voice was shaking and full of uncertainty—almost fear—as he threw C.C. onto the floor. She looked up at him curiously, her green hair almost covering her eyes. "This chaos is all your fault, isn't it!?" He accused, raw and wounded.**

 **"And Britannia... Britannia even killed Suzaku!"**

Hearing his old friend be so upset over what had been thought to be his death, Suzaku Kururugi wept inside. _I've been such a fool all this time. I'm sorry, Lelouch._

Inside, he felt glad that the mask of Zero shielded his face and everything he felt from the outside world.

 **"He's not here?"**

 **"It would seem he's gone out to the front lines."**

 **"Even though we brought the Lancelot here?"**

 **"Now what do we do?" Cecile wondered.**

 **Lloyd held the Lancelot's key with his fingers and stared at it as if it would give him some clue. "We steamrolled our way in here but we have no devicer to use** ** _it._** **"**

"Hey, look at me, people!" Lloyd's smile seemed to shout. He admired his character, ignoring the death and focusing only on how _fabulous_ a role he'd played.

 **"Stay quiet." Lelouch called over his shoulder to C.C. in a whisper. "Stay here." He crawled up the stairwell to peek up above. The only thing that greeted his sight was an Eleven man dressed in a suit being gunned down.**

 **Instinctively, Lelouch ducked down again, and listened to the voices.**

 **"Report." Lelouch remembered and recognized that voice as the Royal Guard captain's voice, rugged and worn.**

 **"We found only Elevens here, sir." One of the Royal Guardsman reported as the captain had ordered.**

 **"Are you sure this is the only exit?"**

 **"Yes, according to the most recent maps."**

 **Lelouch turned away, relieved they wouldn't be found. His eyes darted back to the Royal Guard when the high-pitched, terrified wail of a young girl—a baby, perhaps—pierced the air.**

Nunnally almost turned away, the death too much for her. Besides Tianzi and Kaguya, others had closed their eyes, unable to stomach all the corpses. But she'd tried to be strong, keeping her eyes locked on the screen.

As if knowing what she was feeling and thinking, Zero murmured from her side, "Empress... Your Majesty, you don't have to watch if you don't want to."

Nunnally stopped instantly, her eyes going back to the screen. She shook her head, and said these words, "My brother had to experience this, _in person,_ Zero. The least I can do is stomach it, for him." She watched him intently to see if he would react to her words.

He did, barely noticeably. Zero froze, but after a few seconds he finally nodded stiffly. "I see."

Nunnally sighed before her eyes widened, realizing something. "Oh! Zero, please, you should sit. I'm sure this will continue on for longer."

Zero hesitated.

"Zero. I'm not going to be attacked here in Ashford Academy. Please, have a seat."

Finally, the masked man allowed himself to relax, if only slightly, and sit down beside Nunnally, instead of standing at her shoulder as he'd been doing. He still looked tense, or at least Nunnally thought as much, but at least he was resting his legs.

 **Lelouch looked away and gritted his teeth, his eyes closing as he heard the bullets rip into the air loudly. The wails disappeared instantly.**

 **He squeezed his eyes closed, and swore to himself once more how he would utterly destroy his father.**

 **And then his phone rang.**

 **His eyes widened and he quickly shut off the phone, but the damage had been done. The soldiers clicked the safeties off their guns.**

 **Back in Ashford, Shirley Fenette stood, her phone pressed to her ear, eyes twitching. "That jerk, he hung up on me! I can't believe it!"**

"The Demon Emperor nearly had his life ended because of _Shirley_!?" Gino whistled amidst his laughter, admiring her momentarily. _She's still pretty even while angry,_ he thought, before realizing she was probably still a minor at this stage. Frowning, he asked, "How old were you guys here?"

It was Rivalz who answered. "We were 17, I think." Milly nodded to confirm his words.

Clucking his tongue, Gino sighed but focused on the schoolgirl's face, ignoring her other assets, such as her generous bust. While Shirley raged about Lelouch's behavior, said boy was thrown up and slammed against the wall by a Royal Guardsman. Meanwhile, two other soldiers had their guns pointed to C.C., raising them when she moved, as if to aid him, at the sound of Lelouch's pained grunts.

 **"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end." The captain's voice was smiling.**

"Oh my God." Nunnally whispered, her stomach clenching at the fear and suspense. _Shirley, you could have killed him._ Of course, Shirley hadn't known, but it still angered her a little, at least for a few seconds. "Lelouch-nii-san..."

Zero wondered when Nunnally had changed from referring to her elder blood-sibling as "Lelouch" to "Lelouch-nii-san." He smiled slightly, because it told him that Nunnally had grown to love him as much as she had back when all they'd had was each other. _She's seeing you for who you truly are again, Lelouch. In the end I suppose you could never truly make her hate you._

"Lelou..." _Lelouch, please... Don't have gotten hurt._ Kallen thought, shaking with tears. Not for the first time, she wished she hadn't betrayed him.

Cornelia turned at Kallen's voice. Inside, the warrior princess also felt herself mourning for her brother, and wished she'd gotten closer to him before the fateful day Marianne had been killed and everything changed. _Lelouch... At the very least, brother, I promise to protect Nunnally. I know you still love her, even if you tried to make it seem like you didn't... You've always loved Nunnally, like I loved Euphie._

 **Lelouh struggled to find his voice, coughing silently. "You... You** ** _scum._** **" He spat.**

 **The captain ignored him and continued as though Lelouch's hadn't spoken at all. "You did well for a student, but that's expected. You're a Britannian, after all. Unfortunately, my clever young friend, you have no future."**

 **Lelouch's eyes widened and he braced himself when the captain held up his gun, aimed at him. C.C. chose that exact moment to get away from the two soldiers covering her, running through them and throwing her arms out, shouting, "He mustn't die!"**

 **The captain pulled the trigger.**

 **The bullet soared through the air and struck C.C. on her forehead, dead center. Her bangs parted, revealing a crane-like tattoo the bullet had pierced.**

 **Falling silent, the green-haired woman's eyes widened and she fell instantly, blood pooling out of her gunshot wound.**

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Before, Kallen had grieved for Lelouch and for the Japanese lives lost in the infamous Shinjuku Massacre. Now, she was roaring with disbelief—it was _impossible._ "I MET her! Talked to her, ate with her, fought with her!" _What is your GAME, C.C.!?_

"But... She's dead?" Rivalz asked the statement, staring at her blood uncertainly, confused. She'd been shot in the head, so obviously she had to be dead, right?

Milly nodded. "That's right. No one survives shots to the head."

Gino nodded, having killed people a hundred times over with a bullet to the head. "No one gets up after an injury like that." He confirmed, flinching visibly. _I've killed as many as the Demon Emperor. Does that make me as bad as him?_

"A ghost, maybe?" Rivalz suggested.

Milly smiled and added, "Or a zombie?"

"No way." Kaguya thought aloud. "I held her hand. She talked to me. She was _alive._ " Kaguya clearly remembered C.C., who'd stuck by Zero's side from the very beginning to the bitter end.

 _That child!_ Cornelia gasped, sitting upright. Beside her, Guilford shot her a worried look, but she ignored him. _He got back up after I'd knifed him in the skull. I thought it was strange, but he said he had immortality..._ "When I was captured," she murmured, "I met a little boy with long, blonde hair. I couldn't be bothered, so I threw a knife at him. I _saw_ it impale his head, and I _saw_ the blood, but he grabbed the knife and removed it from his head, _smiling._ "

Tianzi gasped. "You threw a knife at a _little child!?_ " Li Xingke, looking alarmed, shielded his Empress with one arm and rested his other arm on the hilt of his sword, shooting Cornelia a warning glare.

"I don't see why you're not more concerned over the fact that said _little child_ got back up from a knife _to the head._ " Cornelia pointed out crossly, narrowing her own eyes at the Chinese man.

Zero could have laughed right then. _Yeah, sure, because Lelouch's immortal uncle is anything like a little child._ He thought, laughing silently—because what would it do to his reputation if he laughed at a Princess stabbing a child in the head?

"This green-haired woman—C.C., you said her name was, Kallen—and that little boy you met, Princess Cornelia." Zero finally cut in, tired of their speculation. _C.C., a ghost? A zombie? Hah!_ Suzaku knew that telling them what he knew would only make them suspicious, but if he was right and this video would show an account of _everything,_ from Lelouch's rise to his death, then his identity would be known sooner or later anyway. "They had _Codes._ "

" _Codes_?" Cornelia echoed, her narrowed eyes coming to meet the masked man. "What do you mean, codes?"

"And how would you know, anyway?" Kallen added, glaring daggers at Zero. _Am I right, Suzaku? Is that you behind your enemy's face?_

Zero sighed. "Those with _Codes_ have the power to _revive_ every time they are killed. They also have the ability to bless normal people with a _Geass_." He paused, and then turned to Kallen and said, "Someone thought I deserved and wanted to know." _I would have been fine without Lancelot or this cursed knowledge if Euphie could be alive._

"Then there are more of those with the Demon Emperor's accursed power?" Ohgi demanded, scowling at the reminder of _Geass._

The second Zero nodded solemnly. "Yes. I'm sure you'll find out who soon enough."

"And why can't you tell us? Or at least tell us what their _Geass'_ were." Gino asked, frowning.

 _I'm sorry, Gino. I can't. But you'll see soon, I'm sure._ "You'll have the chance to see their _Geass'_ if you watch... So why don't we continue, shall we?"

Gino scowled but said nothing.

 **"Y-You shot her!" Lelouch exclaimed, stumbling towards the fallen woman in horror. He fell to his knees, staring down at her.**

 **The captain didn't seem to even care. "Our orders were to bring her back alive, if possible. Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors the Royal Guard managed to find the terrorist hideout and killed them all. Regrettably, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think, schoolboy?"**

 **Lelouch's hand shook, a mixture of fear, horror and anger.** ** _How can this be happening... First Suzaku's killed, then this girl..._** **He felt himself flinch in shock, reminding himself she'd been killed for** ** _him._**

 ** _Now I'm about to die, before I've had a chance to do a single thing with my life. It's gone in a heartbeat..._** **He thought of his sister, full of hope and trust, waiting for him at Ashford. He saw her, smiling innocently, and mourned,** ** _Nunnally!_**

"Oh, brother." Nunnally sobbed, her heart aching as she watched his life threatened—and all he could think of was her.

 **Suddenly the green-haired girl—the** ** _dead_** **green-haired girl—reached out and** ** _grabbed_** **his wrist. In that instant, he was thrown into a world of black, tendrils of blue light swirling around him.**

 ** _"You don't want it to end here, do you?"_** **It was C.C.'s voice.**

"Is this what you meant by blessing people with _Geass,_ Zero?" Villetta asked, staring at the Lelouch on the screen with something akin to hatred.

Zero nodded wordlessly, watching with rapt attention. He'd never seen the process in person, after all.

 ** _What...?_** **Lelouch thought, beside himself with confusion.**

 ** _"You appear to have a reason for living."_**

 ** _How? T-That's impossible!_** **He imagined the green-haired woman, lying on the ground cold and dead—bloody.**

 ** _"If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal; in exchange for this power you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions. While living in a world of humans, you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life."_**

 ** _"The power of the kings will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"_**

 **The pictures and scenes changed and there was the 98th Emperor, standing tall and proud.** ** _"A convergence with the Ragnarok Connection? So the myth is coming true once again!"_**

 **Seeing his father, Lelouch's eyes narrowed with a pure, unadulterated fury.** ** _"Yes! I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"_** **He threw his right hand out as he spoke, full of determination.**

 **And just like that, everything was sealed.**

"Why did he have to accept the _Geass_!?" Nunnally demanded, her voice laden with sobs and despair. _If he'd said no to C.C., I would have been able to live a normal, peaceful life with him. Yes, I wanted a gentle, peaceful world, Lelouch, but more than that I wanted you._

 **Slowly, Lelouch stood, releasing her hand.**

 **"Hm?" The captain murmured, curious as to why Lelouch seemed to have none of the fear he showed not two minutes ago.**

 **"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?" Lelouch asked rhetorically, one hand held over his right eye. He hid a smirk.**

"Oh, brother," Cornelia sighed, her gut churning. _Did you really hate us that much?_ For a moment, Cornelia forgot Zero and the Demon Emperor, and she remembered the young, stubborn Prince with wide amethyst eyes who would have done anything for those he'd cared about.

For a moment, she remembered a brother.

 **"Are you some kind of radical?" The captain sneered, only to stop suddenly, his eyes widening the tiniest bit.**

 **"What's wrong? Why not shoot, your opponent is only a schoolboy? Or have you finally realized; the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed!?" Lelouch finally removed his right hand, revealing a red, blazing crane-like symbol in his right eye.**

 **The captain's hand, which was pointing his gun at Lelouch, began to shake. "W-what's happening here!?" He demanded, voice shaking with fear of the unknown.**

 **"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you! Now, all of you,** ** _die_** **!" The discarded prince gave his order, outstretching his arm imperiously.**

 **His** ** _Geass_** **flew into their eyes, manipulating their thoughts and controlling their nerves.**

 **The captain stepped back, beginning to laugh madly. "Happily, your highness!" He crowed, turning his gun around and pressing it again his neck. His men followed suit. "Fire!" He ordered his subordinates.**

 **As one, the Royal Guards all shot themselves.**

"Oh my God," Milly whispered, holding a hand to her stomach, feeling nauseous. _What kind of power lets you twist someone's will?_

Nina couldn't stop herself from shaking uncontrollably. "A power like that…" She shuddered. _What a demon._ "How wretched," she murmured, her fists curling.

Tianzi sobbed and Kaguya drew her friend closer to her, holding the Chinese Empress as they both continued to cry, watching as a young teenaged boy began his paved path of blood.

"Lelouch…" Rivalz muttered sullenly. _What happened to the apathetic boy I knew who loved his brother more than the world itself? What happened to the boy I drove to chess?_ "What happened to the classmate I knew and befriended?" He whispered quietly. _How could that same friend kill the Royal Guards so thoughtlessly—as though their lives don't even matter?_

The Royal Guards may have been cruel and evil, but that didn't mean they weren't _human._ They deserved their lives just as everyone else—and Lelouch had no right judging people and deciding their worth, killing off the ones he deemed _unworthy._

Rivalz hadn't been speaking to anyone specifically, but a familiar voice answered his question, "He saw a massacre, Rivalz. That classmate witnessed a slaughter. That classmate was almost _killed_."

Rivalz flinched and looked away quietly, Milly's whispered words hitting a chord in his heart. He knew she was right.

 **Their blood flew from their bodies, a streak hitting Lelouch's cheek. He stood there amidst all the death, eyes almost frightened at his own power.**

 ** _That was the turning point. Since that day, I've lived a lie. The lie of living... My name, too, was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair. But now this incredible power... It's mine. Well, then..._**

 **A cruel, wicked smirk, one of promises and the will to destroy, graced his lips.**

While there were those who mourned and there were those who cried out in disgust, Jeremiah Gottwald couldn't help but marvel at his young Lord in awe. _Your Highness,_ he thought in admiration, _you are quite the character._

The man, who had been blessed by the 99th Emperor himself with the title Knight of Orange in the name of his loyalty, was troubled. Jeremiah Gottwald had honestly never before faced such a challenging decision.

On one hand, his Liege—even if the man was dead, Lelouch had been the man he swore his loyalty and life to—may have planned for all this and simply hadn't told Jeremiah. Therefore, if he acted out and stopped all this, he could be going against his Liege's wishes.

On the other hand, however, if Lelouch had _not_ planned for this, then he was betraying his Liege by letting the video play on.

 _My Lord,_ Jeremiah thought with a small frown, _if you were alive, what would you have me do?_

And as per usual whenever he thought of his noble Liege, a pang of guilt stabbed his heart. Jeremiah Gottwald had once promised himself he would protect the Vi Britannia line at all costs—even if it was at the cost of his own life.

And how far he had strayed from his oath... _Even if it was His Highness who had commanded it... I knew of the Zero Requiem, and still I let it happen. I did nothing to stop it, and I was forced to watch My Lord die._

The misery in his eyes went undetected, as everyone else was far too preoccupied with the revelation occurring before their eyes.

 _Even if you forgive me, My Lord..._

 _I can never forgive myself._

* * *

 **—** **sfaye-chan.**


	4. Stage 02: The White Knight Awakens

**A/N: No, you're not imagining this, and this isn't an author's note: I'm finally back with a new chapter for TTHM.**

 **Oh my God, I can't enough for the amount of time between the last update and this one. I know it's been a _longggg_ wait. I did say that I'd post this chapter some time during the last week—or something similar—on In This Game of War, however, I somehow managed to forget that I would be away on holiday very soon after I posted that and so it wasn't until today that I managed to upload this.**

 **That aside, I took _a lot_ of time writing this mainly because of all the action scenes. I'm not entirely well-versed in Knightmare language and I was stuck on how to depict that as well as all the Knightmare battles, so if you're wondering why this took so long, that's why. Of course, there's also the reason that I had homework, studying, revision, and other things to do.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Code Geass. **

* * *

**I don't think there's much more to say, and I'm sure you'd rather read the chapter than have me ramble on, so without further ado, here is Stage 02:**

* * *

 **Stage 02: The White Knight Awakens**

* * *

The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. Everyone reeled in their seats.

 _Lelouch had a power like that all along. Why did Princess Euphemia trust him?_

 _Lelouch—no, Zero. Why use Geass to fight against your own countrymen?_

 _Euphie... I'm sorry, Euphie. I never should have let Zero near you._

 _Lelouch, I'm sorry for not believing in you._

 _Geass. That evil power. It should never have existed in the first place._

 _I was wrong, Lelouch. I should have listened to you. I should have followed you. How could I have condemned you for using contemptible methods, when I'd committed as many sins as you, in the name of justice? Where is the justice in that?_

 _Onii-sama... I'm sorry. I should have been a better sister. I failed you._

Some regretted their actions, some wished they'd been wiser. Some wished Lelouch had never been granted Geass, some were thankful for it.

They were all very different. There were those who hated him, and those who didn't. But they were all there for the same reason—for the truth.

One remembered the past.

 _Lelouch... Once, you told me Geass was like a wish. If my wish was for the past, would Geass grant me that? You told me you were granting humanity's wish for peace, but you never granted my wish. You may have given us peace, but if you aren't here to witness your miracle, what's the point?_ Zero sighed. Silently, he wondered why he had never trusted his best friend. He'd only chosen to follow Lelouch when it was too late.

Now he could only regret.

Another wished she'd been wiser.

 _Lulu... C.C. chose to die for you at the beginning, even before you did anything for her. Yet, even after you've done everything for me, I chose to betray you. How could I? How could I have taken arms against you? How could I have believed Schneizel over you? You were my brother, so how could I have believed that, so long as you'd been forgiven, it didn't matter if you'd died?_

 _You were always there for me. And yet when you needed me most I abandoned you. I'm sorry, onii-sama._

Quietly, Nunnally sobbed. She cried for the brother she'd betrayed, and she cried for the brother no one understood. She cried for the tears he would never shed.

And there were also those who regretted what they'd chosen to do.

 _My Lord... I let you die. I should have convinced you to discard Zero Requiem. I should have been able to make you see another way. And yet I let you die. I am unworthy of your legacy... I failed twice; in your mother's case, and yours. Forgive me, my Lord_.

But it didn't matter anymore. Whether they regretted it, or whether they wished he was alive—he was dead, and the dead could not be brought back to life. He was gone. Forever.

"Empress..." Kallen managed to find words. She hated seeing Lelouch again—it was a reminder of all she'd lost. A reminder of the man she should have saved. Still, though... "Please, play the video."

Nunnally's head raised at Kallen's words. For a quiet moment, the Empress peered down at the Ace, and for a moment, Nunnally wondered why her brother had chained his Q1 up as well, when she'd been his Ace, his Queen.

Sighing sadly, Nunnally lifted the remote, her finger settling over the "play" button. She stopped for a moment, before blinking back her tears and steeling her resolve—she pressed the button.

 **"The date was August 10 in the year 2010 in the Imperial calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire had just declared war upon Japan. Confronted by the empire's newest weapon, the formidable Knightmare frame, Japan fell to its enemy in less than a month. The conquered nation was stripped of its rights, freedom, culture and dignity. Finally, even its name was taken away. Eleven. The name of Japan and its people were replaced by a mere number."**

Hidden in the shadows, unknown to all, C.C. smiled grimly. Thinking back, she wondered how Lelouch's life would have played out if she hadn't meddled and offered him their contract. She sighed. _There's no use in thinking what-if's now,_ she reminded herself. _Lelouch said it himself: it was him who chose to accept the Geass._

Even though Lelouch would never blame her, and he would have likely been killed by Clovis's Royal Guard if she hadn't intervened, C.C. churned with guilt. If she hadn't selfishly wished for death, would his family and friends still love him?

* * *

 **Stage 02**

 **The White Knight Awakens**

* * *

 ** _I don't understand what it is you wanted me to do..._ Lelouch shook, though whether with fear or excitement was unclear. _Why did you give me this bizarre power..?_**

 **Lelouch stared intently at the woman with her hair splayed out on the ground, blood staining the floor below her. Suddenly, the ground shook and Lelouch's eyes widened, looking up to see a Sutherland crash through the wall.**

 **Maneuvering the weapon, Villetta looked through the the lens of her Knightmare frame and gasped. "How could all of these Royal Guards be dead...?" Spotting a student standing in the midst of death, she switched on her intercom and snarled, "What happened here, boy!? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?"**

 **When Lelouch just stared at her Knightmare silently, refusing to respond, her lips curled into a scowl. "Are you deaf!? Answer me or I'll—"**

 **Lelouch scoffed and Villetta buried lead into the wall behind him, each bullet more than enough to kill a man over.**

Gino whistled at Lelouch's bravery when he didn't so much as flinch at the barrage of shots, standing calmly as his hair flew wildly around him. "That courage..." The Knight admired lowly.

Villetta growled, seeing herself interact with the Demon Emperor for the first time. _Damn it! I should have just shot him!_

 **"I order you to come out, at once!" Lelouch commanded, his voice imperious as the symbol of Geass sparked in his eye.**

Villetta tensed, waiting to see what would happen—although she did remember, vaguely, that it hadn't worked. Nonetheless... _Geass._ Her fists curled, and Ohgi shot her a concerned look.

"You okay?" He murmured quietly, resting a hand on her glanced at him for a moment, biting her lip. Shrugging his hand off her, she mumbled, "I'm fine." Inwardly, the thought of _Geass_ reworking and manipulating her mind chilled her to her very core. What could she trust if she couldn't even trust herself?

 _How do I know that, right now, Geass isn't still keeping its hold on my mind?_

 **For a moment, the woman on screen didn't respond, before she glowered and demanded, "Who the hell do you think you are to order me around!?"**

 **Lelouch's eye closed in realization. _I see. It only works with direct eye contact._ "My name is Alan Spacer," Lelouch changed his tactics, raising his hands in surrender. "My father's a Duke."**

 **"Nobility?" Villetta murmured, eyebrows raising in surprise.**

In the audience, Villetta growled, cursing herself for falling for Lelouch's tricks. _How could I have fallen for his act!?_ She felt ashamed that she had been so enamored by the thought of a duke's son vouching for her that she'd abandoned all caution. _Damn you, Lelouch!_

 **"My ID card is in my breast pocket." Lelouch continued boldly, "After you confirm my identity, I'll request your protection."**

 **Villetta's eyes narrowed and she huffed, though she still retrieved her key from the ignition slot. The machine powered off and she slid down to the ground, eyeing the Britannian student, who was smirking at her, suspiciously.**

 **"Keep your hands in the air!" She instructed in a no-nonsense tone of voice. " _I'll_ take out your ID."**

 **Lelouch merely grinned wider, the distinct red of Geass coloring over his amethyst. "Now, then..." he murmured, watching her as she approached him, clueless to his power. "Hand your Knightmare over to me!"**

 **His Geass entered her eyes and reworked her brain, wiring her to obey him unquestioningly. "Understood," she said tonelessly, "The code number is XG2D1G2D4." Twirling the key around her finger, she tossed it over to the student, who caught it with surprising ease.**

 **"Got it," he smirked.**

 **Safe to say, when Villetta's right mind returned to her, she had no idea what she was doing, standing alone in the middle of a dimly lit warehouse. She whirled around, but didn't see her Knightmare or anyone else behind her. "What... the?"**

"Bastard!" Villetta growled, her fists curling and uncurling in a vain attempt to calm herself. "How _dare_ he!"

"Villetta..." Ohgi sighed, not sure how to ease her worries.

Villetta looked away, a snarl curling on her lips. Furious as she was, though, even she could understand the bright side of having seen his power working on her— _at the end he only made me give him my Knightmare,_ she reasoned, knowing full-well that he could've done much worse. _He didn't order me to be his servant forever, or... or to kill myself._

She shook off the thought, but acknowledged the possibility. She supposed she should just be grateful that she hadn't ended up like the Royal Guards.

"It's alright, Ohgi," she smiled tiredly at him, closing her eyes wearily for a brief moment. She refused to let anyone see her doubts.

Sitting a few rows ahead of her, Gino's eyebrow rose. "So that's the power of the _Geass,_ huh?" He shook his head and attempted to define, "Is it like magic? Like wizards and wands and all that." He hadn't really been sure about _Geass,_ but now that he'd seen it for himself— _twice,_ too—he couldn't deny the truth that laid so clearly before him anymore.

Kallen nodded slowly, "I guess you could think of it as magic."

Gino frowned, still unsure about one other thing. "If he was really so evil—really a demon—I have to wonder why he didn't kill her while he was at it. I mean, he could have just as easily orderer her to die like he'd ordered the Royal Guards, or he could have even picked up a stray gun and shot her."

"Oh," Kallen said, surprised. She hadn't even considered that—she was so focused on _Geass_ that she wasn't even really thinking about anything else. "You're right, he could have."

Villetta shivered, hearing Gino's musings. Seeing his wife so rattled, Ohgi frowned and spoke up to distract her. "That doesn't really matter," he countered from behind them, making the two turn in their seats to face him. "He still _Geassed_ her—just like he _Geassed_ all of us!"

Gino blinked. "He really used his _Geass_ on his own Black Knights?"

Chiba nodded, a snarl curling on her lips. "That's right; he controlled us!"

Gino shuddered, uneasy. If Lelouch really _had_ subjected his own men to his supernatural power, then what was to say that he hadn't _Geassed_ Gino as well? He himself had encountered Lelouch several times—during his stay at Ashford Academy as well—and Lelouch could have very well used his _Geass_ on him then, while there was nothing stopping him and while Gino didn't even consider him to be a threat.

 _Just how permanent is his Geass…?_ Gino wondered, skin crawling.

 **"So, are we having a bad day?" Lloyd asked loudly, leaning in to closer observe the wounded Private. "It seems you've missed a chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi."**

 **"I... did?" Private Kururugi asked in confusion, sitting up slowly with a grunt of pain. "Where...?"**

 **"Ah, we're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto," Lloyd informed conversationally.**

 **"With Prince Clovis nearby, this is probably the safest place anywhere," Cecile added kindly.**

"The s-safest place!" Tamaki guffawed, laughing at the thought.

Cecile flushed, averting her eyes in embarrassment. "I didn't know!" She protested, folding her arms over her chest huffily.

Tamaki only barked louder.

 **"This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku," Cecile continued, holding out an object which lay nearly on a piece of tissue paper.**

 **"You're lucky it was under your protection suit, because it's what deflected the bullet."**

 **"Is it a keepsake?"**

 **Suzaku frowned at Cecile's words, but hesitantly took the offered pocket watch. "Yeah, very," he answered finally.**

 **"You Elevens believe Gods live inside of everything, even objects, don't you?" Lloyd mused aloud. "I suppose this one—"**

 **"Is Lelou—" Suzaku cut himself off suddenly, flustered. Eventually, he asked, rephrasing his question, "What's the latest on the situation?"**

 **"It looks like the poison gas has been released," Lloyd informed solemnly, "Massive Eleven casualties have been reported."**

 **"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet," Cecile said, concerned.**

Zero's teeth gritted. _Poison gas, my foot,_ he thought bitterly, once again cursing himself. How could he have been so blind to have believed everything Britannia fed him?

"Oh, I suppose it can't have been poison gas, then," Cecile said thoughtfully, sounding curious. "I wonder why they would lie to us."

"Isn't it obvious?" Lloyd sighed depreciatingly, eyeing the screen with a little distaste. "Prince Clovis lied to hide whatever it was he was doing with that green-haired girl."

"It would have had to be something bad, then," Cecile shuddered.

"Yes," Lloyd agreed, a humorless smile fitting itself onto his lips. "I imagine it might have even been something as crude as human experimentation."

Cecile's eyes widened in shock, her face paling in horror.

"That is, if she even is human," Lloyd added with a hint of bemused interest.

"Lloyd!" Cecile cried, not understanding his lack of reaction.

Lloyd shot her an irritated look. "What?" His assistant only stared at him with poorly concealed disappointment. He rolled his eyes and explained halfheartedly, "I can't do anything to change the past."

Cecile reared back in surprise but didn't say anything else, disquieted by his words.

 **"They haven't, huh?" Suzaku repeated hollowly.**

 **"Private Kururugi," Lloyd began cheerfully, "How much experience do you have piloting a Knightmare?"**

 **"Wha—but there's no way an Eleven would be made a Knight," Suzaku protested, confused.**

 **Lloyd just smiled mysteriously, dangling the key of a Knightmare in his line of sight. "Well..." he drawled, "Supposing you could..."**

 **Suzaku made the breathless sound of a shocked gasp.**

 **"Congratulations!" Lloyd cheered. "The only Knightmare of its kind awaits you! Once you take the controls of this big beauty, everything will change. You _and_ your world."**

 **"Whether you want it to or not," Cecile added warningly.**

 _I suppose they were right,_ Zero—no, Suzaku—reflected, suppressing a sigh. _Piloting the Lancelot really did change everything for me._

"That traitor!" Chiba hissed, catching his attention. Behind his mask, he flinched at the words although he didn't—couldn't—react to them. "So _that's_ when he first started piloting the Lancelot, that power-hungry bastard!"

"He wasn't power-hungry!" Cecile argued instantly, scowling defensively.

Suzaku swallowed, his throat dry, when he heard her protect him again. She had always done that—had always made sure he was comfortable. She never had to, but she'd always taken it upon herself to speak up for him.

"How would you know?" Chiba sneered. "Maybe, he was using you, too! Just like he used everyone else—he probably even used the Demon Emperor!"

Cecile's eyes widened in shock and anger at Chiba's implications. "Suzaku did _not_ use everyone!" She protested vehemently. _And even if he was using Emperor Lelouch, it went both ways,_ she thought. _But really, they were only doing their best to free the world from the chain of hatred._ At the time, she had never truly understood what they were attempting to achieve—she had thought that it would be impossible to truly eradicate anger and evil—but now she could see that their plan worked.

 _Their plan worked at the cost of Lelouch,_ it was the one thing she might regret about what had happened. Despite the evident unity within the people of the world, it had all come with a sacrifice that she wished hadn't been needed—the life of an eighteen-year-old boy with a future. A future that could never come to be anymore, because he'd given it all up for people who would never acknowledge him as the savior he'd truly become.

"I hate to agree with Chiba, but she's right," Villetta joined in, crossing her arms over her chest. "How _would_ you know?"

Snapped out of her reverie by Villetta's words, Cecile frowned, staring back and forth between Chiba and Villetta. She looked away for a moment, eyes clouded with memories, before she shook it off with a sigh and said quietly, "He wasn't always looking for power, you know. There was once a time that he followed a leader because he believed in them, and not because he wanted to advance his own position.

"Oh, really?" Chiba scoffed, not believing Cecile for even a second. To her, Suzaku was a traitor and nothing more. He'd betrayed pretty much everyone: first, his own nation, Japan; then Lelouch—not that she could blame him for _that_ one—his supposed best friend; and _then_ he betrayed Britannia; and finally the entire world. She could never hope to understand him, and she never tried to pretend that she did.

"Yes, actually," Cecile scowled, feeling offended on Suzaku's behalf.

"Who was it, then?" This time, it was Todoh who spoke, a disgruntled look in his eyes.

Cecile shrugged and answered at arm's length, "It was Princess Euphemia."

Cornelia snorted, disgusted at the thought. _Clearly he couldn't have truly believed in my sister as he let on if he could abandon her name so easily and swear fealty to the man who murdered her._

"Of course," Chiba huffed, unaware of the way Cornelia's eye twitched dangerously. "A fool of a Princess followed by an even bigger fool of a Knight. How tragic."

"How dare you!" Cornelia stood up instinctively, hands flying to the hilt of her sword, as she snapped, unable to hold back her fury at Chiba's insult towards her deceased younger sister. "I'll show you—!"

"Please," Nunnally tried to regain some control over the growing chaos. "Let us continue watching."

Cornelia growled, snarling at Chiba, but both women regained their sense of selves and seated themselves back down, tense.

Suzaku sighed. _Oh, Euphie..._ Tears gathered in his eyes, but he blinked them back resolutely. He needed to be strong—for Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphie.

 **"Those damn Britannians!" Kallen cried out, teeth gritted as she slammed down on the controls and maneuvered her Glasgow around roughly.**

 **"Kallen!" The radio sparked to life, "Can the Glasgow still move?"**

 **"Don't worry, Ohgi!" She replied instantly. "It's alright, just get the people out of here! The only ones who will be caught are those of us in the resistance!"**

 **"I know, but we're trapped! They've got us completely surrounded!"**

Kallen looked away, flinching. _We were so inexperienced, despite our mutual dreams to free Japan. As great a leader Ohgi was, without Naoto, there just seemed to be no hope. And then Lelouch came. He saved us out of that hole we dug ourselves into—that much, we can't deny._

 _Without him, there's a high possibility that we all would have died in that battle—the battle that would have been our last. All for poison gas._

 **"That's because you don't have enough leg strength, right?" A girl laughed above the sound of the TV and the chatter of her peers.**

 **"You're wrong," another countered, about to go on when a phone began to chime its ringtone.**

 **Shirley blinked in surprise, mumbling an incoherent wondering before grabbing her device, answering it. "Lulu? What in the world have you been doing? Where are you now? Would you keep cutting class, they'll hold you back!"**

 **"Are you near a TV?"**

 **"A TV?" She echoed, irritated that he was disregarding her words over—what—the news.**

 **"Sorry," he apologized, "but this is important."**

 **"Hmph!" She huffed, moving closer to said TV. "Hang on..." she muttered into the phone, and then asked, "Hey, can I change the channel?"**

 **"Huh? To what?"**

 **"The news," Lelouch answered quickly, "Is there anything on about Shinjuku?"**

 **"The news...?" Shirley repeated, eyeing the TV intently. "Let's see... There's nothing on." She paused, and then added, "Traffic restrictions?"**

 **"Why is it restricted?"**

 **"I don't know, they're not saying."**

 **His expression soured. _I get it. When everything's done with, they'll release news that favors the military._**

 **"Oh, you're gambling again, aren't you!?" Shirley demanded, "I've warned you more than once how dangerous that is!"**

 **"Yep, you caught me," Lelouch chuckled, pointedly ignoring the massacre around him. "By the way, tell my little sister that I'll be home late tonight, would you? Thanks." Without waiting for her to respond, he reached up and cut off the line.**

 _Lelouch..._ He was always thinking about her, wasn't he? _Always so considerate._ And yet, when it had mattered the most, she hadn't been able to do the same. _I'm so sorry, onii-sama._

Why did she have to betray him?

She should have always been there for him, just as he had for her. She should have been a constant for him—someone he could trust—in a world full of surprises, but instead she'd turned on him, just as everyone else had.

 **"Ooh!" Shirley screeched angrily, heaving with outrage. "Why does he always hang up on me like that!?"**

 ** _"The number you have called is beyond service range,"_ the phone intoned when she tried to get ahold of him again.**

 **"Oh, darn it! Not this again!"**

 _That's our Lulu,_ Milly smiled, and then caught herself when she realized what she was thinking. _Shirley's darling Lulu,_ she corrected, regret crossing her eyes. _If only you knew how much she loved you, Lulu... then maybe you would have given her a chance before it was too late._

 ** _They need to keep a lid on this information so it'll be hard for them to call in reinforcements,_ he realized, a strategy beginning to form in his mind. _They'll have to make do with the pieces they have on the board. But I'm hemmed in here; it'll be tough to break through by myself._**

 ** _Getting refuge carries its own risk, too._ Resolved, Lelouch stood up on his cockpit and watched as the one-armed Glasgow from the truck swerved around, chased by Sutherlands bearing the colors of the Purists. _I want payback for getting dragged into your fight,_ he scowled.**

* * *

 **Meanwhile, Jeremiah was hot on the tail of the Glasgow who'd attacked him. "It's our Glasgow friend," he said, smirking when he found the Knightmare.**

 **Kallen's eyes widened and she gasped. She'd been found and—"Just 30 minutes left," she read.**

 **"The West Entrance."**

 **"Who is this!?" Kallen barked into the communication unit, "How do you know this code?"**

 **"That doesn't matter," Lelouch said, fixing the collar on his uniform. "If you want to win, you're just gonna have to trust me!"**

 **"To win?" She echoed, shocked. Hooked on the idea of coming out triumphant, she controlled her Knightmare so that the Glasgow veered through the West Entrance and zipped along the train tracks. "Okay, what do I do now!?" She asked the unknown voice desperately, keeping one worried eye on her pursuers.**

 **"You pathetic Eleven," Jeremiah laughed. "If you keep running away, this chase hasn't much to offer in the way of sport."**

 **Kallen flinched when she realized that a train was going down the same tracks she followed, and that they would collide very soon if she didn't do something. "Since you trusted me, you're gonna win," the same voice said on the radio, a cool confidence radiating from him and she couldn't help but believe him. "Jump onto the train!"**

 **She obliged.**

"You followed him so easily," Chiba scoffed, almost disapprovingly. "He wasn't even your leader or anything, and yet you trusted him and put your faith in him as though he'd earned it."

Kallen shrugged, unable to deny her words even though when she reflected back on her actions, she could acknowledge that they hadn't been the smartest. "I had no other choice," she defended, "What else could I do?"

Chiba seemed to ponder over it. "I don't know," she finally said, "but what if it was just a trap?"

"We considered that, of course," she snapped, insulted, "We're not _that_ stupid. We weren't amateurs, either."

"Could have had me fooled," Chiba sneered. "The way you spoke your names and your plans and everything so freely through your comms—had you no fear of being listened to?"

Kallen winced, remembering that Lelouch had pointed that out as well. Maybe they had been more amateurish than she remembered.

Those listening to the short squabble grimaced, realizing that with every second they spent watching this—whatever 'this' was—was a second their anger and frustration used to swell and fester. The longer they spent holed up in the auditorium together, the more annoyed they all grew.

And soon, maybe petty squabbles wasn't the worst they would come to.

 _We need to band together now more than ever,_ Kaguya realized, her experience as the chairwoman of the UFN telling her as much. _With everything unraveling and coming down around us, we need allies more than enemies. We can't afford to split up._ But she feared that they would, and though they'd come together in search for the secrets hidden from that, she was afraid that the truth may tear them apart.

 **"You think you can get through that way, huh?" Jeremiah mused, "If that's your plan, then..." He switched on his comms and ordered, "You, go after the Glasgow!"**

 **"Yes, my lord!" The accompanying Sutherland hailed, leaping up only to be shot by a Slash Harken. The large machine fell from the bridge with barely a shout.**

 **"What the? Shot by friendly fire...?" Jeremiah wondered, spotting a Sutherland hidden in one of the buildings—a Purist Sutherland. "What's your name and your unit? We're after the one-armed Glasgow!" He broadcasted.**

 **Before he could even finish his sentence, the other Sutherland was already firing bullets at him, and his eyes widened in realization, "Oh, my God, a terrorist?"**

 **His Sutherland collapsed to its knees, the supports destroyed by ammo. "You son of a—!"**

 **He turned sharply to find Kallen screaming, her Glasgow shooting towards him as fast as it could as she realized that he'd been distracted and she had a chance.**

 **Growling, he pulled a lever, and was swiftly ejected before she could reach him.**

 **Kallen's eyes narrowed but she sighed and ignored his careening ejection pod. "You saved me," she smiled. "But how did you get ahold of a Sutherland?"**

 **When she looked at where Lelouch's Knightmare had been, though, her eyes widened. It was gone. "What? Where did he go?"**

 **"Kallen!" Her friends from the resistance ran towards her, "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"**

 **"What!?" Kallen's voice emerged from her Glasgow's public radio. "He contacted you, too?"**

 **"Sure did," Ohgi answered. "And Yoshida's group ought'a be here soon."**

 **Before she could make sense of his words, the unit he held in his hands exploded in a burst of static. "Are you the one in charge?" They recognized the voice as the one who'd spoken to them previously.**

 **"Uh, yeah."**

 **"I present to you the cargo in that train over there." Lelouch declared. "They're tools for your victory. If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders!"**

"Tools for our victory?" Ohgi echoed, face twisting into an ugly snarl. "More like they were tools for _you_ ; tools to make us your pawns." He was absolutely seething, upset with Lelouch for using them and with himself for falling for his lies; for not realizing the truth before it was too late.

 **Kallen pried open one of the carts using the strength of her Knightmare. Her eyes widened largely, and she gave a loud gasp.**

 **"There are more in here!" Inoue called out.**

 **"Here, too!"**

 **"Amazing, maybe we should give this guy a chance!"**

 **"All this... how?" Kallen muttered to herself, only to be snapped out of her reverie when the contact said, "Woman in the Glasgow!"**

 **"Ye-yes?" She hailed.**

 **"Stay where you are," he instructed. "Your unit's going to run decoy, you got that?"**

 **"U-Understood!"**

 **"Energy filler status?"**

 **"About fifteen minutes' worth."**

 **"Then recharge it. In ten minutes I'll contact you with your next instructions," Lelouch issued, and then severed the connection.**

 _He's definitely a natural,_ Cornelia observed. _If he had been a general of the army, I have no doubt that he would have brought great victories to our side._

She had to remind herself that Lelouch had never been on her side, not since their father had made it clear to him that without Marianne, without power, he and Nunnally were useless.

"I remember that battle," Kallen said slowly, and Cornelia shifted her attention onto the red-haired ace. "We were completely outclassed, so totally out of Britannia's league that it wasn't even funny. But the way Lelouch took control—he managed to turn the tables when, to me, it had seemed as though we were already dead."

Nobody spoke in the wake of her admission, watching her silently. Kallen, too, seemed lost in her own thoughts, staring at the composed expression of ease on Lelouch's face. "He looks completely at home," she noted.

Cornelia had to agree. Lelouch looked like he belonged out in battle. He was a complete genius out in the field, and even she couldn't deny that.

 **"This is wearing me out," Lelouch sighed. "Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed. After all..." He twirled the Black King piece in his fingers, "I'm betting my life in escape."**

 _It's like the chess piece belongs with him,_ Rivalz chuckled. With the Black King on his side, Lelouch had never lost a single battle—whether against nobility or those of lesser status.

And somehow, Rivalz knew that Lelouch wouldn't lose this battle either.

 _Maybe it's like a lucky charm for him?_ He mused.

 **"The terrorists mixed among the Eleven populace are amounting to a minor resistance, but they pose little threat to are vastly superior army," Bartley concluded.**

 **"We know that," Prince Clovis said quickly. "Moving on."**

 **"Understood, Your Highness." Bartley bowed, "The gas capsule will be—"**

 **"—what the public thinks," Clovis finished for him, glaring.**

 **"Yes," Bartley rushed to assure. "We'll keep searching for her."**

 **Raising a hand to his forehead, Clovis sighed, "Either way, I want her captured, dead or alive."**

 _What's so important about her?_ Cornelia thought crossly, disappointed in the man she called brother. _Even if she can give Geass to other people... Clovis, did you want that dreaded power for yourself?_

* * *

 **A/N: Just like how I split up Stage 01, I also ended up deciding to split this Stage up into two parts. They're both done, though, and the second part will be uploaded at the same time as this one, so there's no need to worry about waiting or anything.**

* * *

 _— sfaye-chan._


	5. Stage 02: The White Knight Awakens Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass in any way or form.**

 **Well, here's the second part of Stage 02.**

* * *

 **Stage 02: The White Knight Awakens**

\- Part 2 -

* * *

Last time on The Truth Hurts More:

 _ **"Understood, Your Highness." Bartley bowed, "The gas capsule will be—"**_

 _ **"—what the public thinks," Clovis finished for him, glaring.**_

 _ **"Yes," Bartley rushed to assure. "We'll keep searching for her."**_

 _ **Raising a hand to his forehead, Clovis sighed, "Either way, I want her captured, dead or alive."**_

 _'What's so important about her?' Cornelia thought crossly, disappointed in the man she called brother. 'Even if she can give Geass to other people... Clovis, did you want that dreaded power for yourself?'_

* * *

Now on The Truth Hurts More:

 **"Hey!" Tamaki yelled from outside, on the ground. "Are you certain about this whole thing? They've all had their IFFs removed; what if this is a trap?"**

 **"The other side has total advantage in this war!" Ohgi was quick to point out. "They don't** ** _need_** **to set any traps! Alright people, let's move! Get to your assigned points!"**

 **"P1, can you move?" The voice asked. "It operates basically the same as what you're used to."**

 **Ohgi exhaled in frustration and grabbed his comm and barked into the radio, "Can't you tell us who you are?"**

 **"I can't do that. What if these signals are being intercepted?" He explained patiently. "Anyway, if Q1 is on schedule, enemy Sutherlands, probably two of them, will reach you in 23 seconds." His lips pressed into a thin, grim line. "Shoot them through the wall."**

 **Tamaki's eyes widened and he stared at Inoue's unit in surprise, which those out of their Knightmares were listening to, scoffing, "He's out of his mind!"**

 **"Everyone," Ohgi said lowly, "double-check your weapons."**

 **Tamaki turned to Ohgi in his Sutherland and demanded, "What!? Are you serious?"**

 **Kallen stopped her Glasgow upright when a helicopter flew overhead, near her.**

* * *

 ** _"Enemy spotted at point F-31."_ **

**"A feint, eh?" Clovis drawled, lounging leisurely on his throne while he watched Bartley and his other men scuttle around. "How pedestrian."**

 **"Tell Lazlo squad to go straight in!" Bartley commanded. "Have Yugan and Valerie strike from the rear!"**

* * *

 **"3, 2, 1..." Ohgi counted down, "Fire!"**

 **Everyone emptied their guns into the wall, and the ammo they'd unleashed reached the two Sutherlands making their way to strike from the other side of the wall. "W-What!?"**

* * *

 **"Sir Yugan and Sir Valerie both lost," one of the officers reported.**

 **"Hm?" Clovis sat up, surprised. "An ambush?"**

* * *

 **Lelouch chuckled wickedly, a wide smirk on his face as he watched two LOST signs appear on the map in his Sutherland.** ** _An ID signal can be a double-edged sword. Besides, if the terrorists follow the orders I issue, my task at hand is sure to be completed._**

"What an arrogant..." Cornelia trailed off, refusing to finish her line of thought. It _had_ been a brilliant move, though, clearly born from an intelligent mind. A tactic that Britannia, proud as it was, would never have expected. _Shooting through the wall, huh?_

 _Double-edged sword, indeed._

 **"P1, P4, P7," Lelouch rattled off easily, "Move 100 meters to the right and fire your Slash Harkens towards three o'clock."**

 **"You heard him!" Ohgi said, smiling. His confidence had clearly been boosted by the success of their ambush. "Do what the voice says!"**

 **"Damn, what else does he want us to do!?" Tamaki asked aloud, only for the voice to speak up: "P5, you ready?"**

 **"Quit calling me that!" Tamaki yelled out and slid his cockpit back into place.**

"P1, P4, P5, P7..." Todoh listed, and then shook his head with a sigh. "Even Q1. Lelouch has always loved chess, even when he first came to Japan, so _of course_ he uses chess designations." _How could I not notice before now?_

"What?" Kallen uttered, eyebrows furrowing in thought. "You're right. How did I not realize that..?" _Especially considering how much he always goes off gambling with Rivalz, and then there was that time at Babel Tower..._

"Chess designations!" Tamaki spat. "What a bunch of crap!"

 **"They're using the same—!" The Britannian Knight screamed in pain before he could finish the revelation.**

 **"The enemy's moving to G-28!"**

 **"Send Lazlo squad—I mean Galbe squad!" Bartley's voice cracked, sweat dripping down his face and worry on his expression. He was slipping.**

 **"This means!" Clovis lurched forward in his seat, horror clear in his voice before he quickly caught himself. "The terrorists... have our weaponry?"**

* * *

 **The red Glasgow pulled itself onto a rooftop and zoomed towards a lone Sutherland, slamming its fist onto the machine's face, sending it sprawling onto the ground.**

 **Yet another LOST sign appeared.**

* * *

 **"Sir Galbe's ejected! His unit's been lost!"**

 **"Change our codes!" Bartley said, flustered. "They're intercepting our transmissions!"**

 **"We already have, sir! Four times!"**

 **"Do it again!" Bartley roared.**

 **Slamming his fists down onto the armrests of his throne, Clovis stood up in a fit of rage. "This failure is** ** _unacceptable_** **!"**

"Always the spoilt brat, ain't he?" Tamaki chuckled, pleased to see that their first run with Zero— _Lelouch_ —leading them—not that they'd known it at the time—had caused a great deal of chaos.

Cornelia gritted her teeth at his words but didn't reprimand him a second time, tired and weary of defending her brother. _He's almost right, though. You always have been like this, throwing tantrums when you didn't get what you wanted._

Those memories were ones that she would always cherish, because back then, she'd had all of the siblings she cared about in one place, safe and alive.

 **"F-Forgive me—!" Bartley began to apologize, tripping over his words.**

 **"Good afternoon," Lloyd's face popped up onto the screen, smiling and leaning in.**

 **"What is it!?" Bartley thundered loudly, impatient and knocked-off balance with all the losses he'd already faced. "We're in the middle of an operation!"**

 **"I'd say it's time to deploy the A.S.E.E.C.'s special weapon," Lloyd said, smiling craftily.**

 **"We've no time for this right now," Clovis interjected swiftly, striding towards them.**

"Seeing Clovis in this much of a bind almost makes me like Lelouch," Tamaki grinned contently, pleased. "He's acting like such a fool."

"That's where you're wrong," Chiba said without pause, smirking just as widely. "He isn't acting like a fool; he _is_ a fool."

Tamaki, who had narrowed his eyes in anger at the beginning, barked with laughter, hooting loudly. "Hear, hear!" He doubled over. Who knew that Chiba had such a sense of humor?

 **"R2, strike anchor." Lelouch contacted, moving his black chess pieces with every order he put forth. "B7, use U-N coordinates. N group, continue your advance." Every command from him set off a chain of events and consequences, ranging from deaths to explosions to the defeat of his enemy.**

 **A few of the Sutherlands the resistance had received from the cargo train were facing off a squadron of enemy forces, releasing a fierce battlecry as they filled the opposing Sutherlands with lead.**

 **The Knights fired back, crying out, "You bloody Elevens!" Suddenly, without so much as a warning, the squadron fell collectively, breaking under the combined force of even more bullets that had come from behind.**

* * *

 **"We just lost Lazlo squad!" Report after report came in, each one filling the officers with dread.**

 **"So do it!" Clovis said. "We'll have to bring up Quincy squad!"**

 **"My Lord," Bartley protested, "But that will break the encirclement."**

"Break the encirclement?" Cornelia pondered, her eyes filling with distaste. "How ridiculous!" She scoffed, wishing she could give her half-brother a piece of her mind for his idiocy—but he was dead, and that move may have very well been what led to his demise.

"It _is_ quite an unintelligent move," Todoh agreed.

 **"Now, then," Lelouch smiled, observing the map and what he'd done. "The enemy has five options. Their move." His smile darkened into a smirk and his eyes narrowed.**

* * *

 **"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding** ** _me,_** **" Clovis instructed. "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."**

Clovis, Cornelia decided with a sigh, was a complete and utter fool. Pretty much _every_ general knew that using those guarding you to fill in empty positions was foolhardiness personified.

 **Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, having exited his ejected cockpit, watched in confusion as Quincy squad rolled out and forward. "Who ordered them to break formation?" He wondered.**

* * *

 **Lelouch, too, watched the Knightmares from the map in his own Sutherland. "Well," he scoffed, "that's a more stupid move than I expected."**

Cornelia smiled triumphantly, pleased that Jeremiah and Lelouch had been just as gobsmacked as her, before she remembered that Lelouch was the Demon Emperor and Jeremiah had been his devoted follower, and her smile faded.

She heard Jeremiah mutter, "Oh, _of course_ it was Clovis who gave the order," in realization and wasn't sure whether she should glower or laugh.

 **"You, Q1, do you have an area map?"**

 **"Yes, I have a map of the old town." Kallen informed, before adding as an afterthought, "But it has no current landmarks."**

 **"It'll do," he assured.**

 **Back in the command deck, Clovis turned to face Bartley with a smile so bright that, for a second, Cornelia wondered if he needed to have his brain checked. "Alright. Send in Burts and the others, too!"**

 **"Mission number 3 now," Lelouch began.**

 **"Concentrate our forces there! Surround them!" Clovis ordered.**

 **"Is everything prepared?" Lelouch asked.**

 **"The enemy's main force is that centered dot," Clovis said victoriously, "Finish every one of them off!"**

 **Lelouch, as if knowing exactly what Clovis was about to do, smirked.**

 **Clovis watched his Knights gather at "the enemy's main force" and gaped when they found nothing. "What?" He exclaimed. "Where's the enemy!?"**

 **Just below said Knights, more Sutherlands appeared, all moving in one direction. "With this," Lelouch held up the Black King, "I call Check." He placed down the piece, resolute and decisive.**

 **Kallen fired her Slash Harken at the ceiling—or, in the Britannian Knights' perspective, the ground. The concrete cracked and remained for a few tense seconds, before it all crumbled and they fell down screaming.**

 **Clovis gasped, eyes widening with fear.**

 **Lelouch's eyes widened similarly, but his were with crazed glee. He laughed loudly—dementedly and hysterically. "My plan worked, didn't it!? I can do it! I can! I can defeat Britannia!"**

 **Clovis took a step back, paling deathly white and shaking in horror.** ** _Who..? Who in the hell am I up against? What if... he's even better than Todoh!_**

"How rude!" Chiba said in reaction, rolling her eyes at the insult. "As _if_ the Demon could ever surpass Todoh!"

Todoh did not even smile in the face of her defending his honor. "Chiba," he dragged out with a sigh. _In the end, Lelouch was an amazing strategist, and many of our battles were only won because we had him as our head. That much is undeniable._

He replayed the most recent events in his mind, observing them with a more critical eye, and frowned deeply when he remembered something he considered important. _That laugh, and his words. Maybe Zero went insane, and wasn't himself during his last moments?_

It was a probable, though slim, hope, and for the memory of the ten-year-old Lelouch vi Britannia who'd doted on his sister Nunnally, there was a part of Todoh that wished it were true.

 **"Lloyd!" He screamed, panicking and desperate.**

 **"Yes, Your Highness?" Lloyd answered immediately, almost bouncing with his giddiness. His visage appeared on the screen for the second time that day.**

 **"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?" He asked seriously.**

 **Lloyd huffed, offended, "My Lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."**

When the screen burst out into black and Japanese lettering, signaling half-time, Lloyd exploded into cackles of boisterous laughter, and he peered down at Cecile haughtily. "Aren't I _such_ a fantastic character?"

Cecile, mortified by the attention he was attracting, blushed a deep red and whacked him upside the head twice. "Lloyd, please!"

"But look!" He gestured at the screen. "I was the last character seen and heard before this video-documentary-thing decided to take a breather! _Clearly,_ I'm wowing!"

Her jaw shifted. "Lloyd, can you please be quiet for once?"

"'My Lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot,'" he imitated himself, his joy never faltering. "I'm such a great character," he gushed.

At the end, it was Milly who stormed over, eyes twitching with every word, every self-adoring praise, he uttered. "Lloyd!" She screeched, heaving. "You're such an ego-maniac! And _why_ are you so _happy_ to be lending your death-dealing machine to a crazy psychopath!?"

"Milly, dear," he cooed, "That 'crazy psychopath' was a _prince._ "

"Well, _clearly_ the royal family has more than its fair share of crazies, what with Clovis _and_ the Demon Emperor." She huffed. _Lelouch_ had _to have been crazy to become a murderer as he did. The Lelouch Lamperouge of Ashford Academy would never have slaughtered people like lambs—if only for Rolo's sake—after all. Then again, that Lelouch wasn't a prince._

Lloyd sighed exaggeratedly, before smiling patiently at Milly. "He was still a prince, and what else did you want me to do? My beautiful Lancelot needed air-time, even if that air-time was given by some 'psychopath'!"

Milly's jaw hung open in disbelief—was he really _that_ in love with his creation?—before she slapped him hard enough to leave a red handprint swelling on his cheek. "I can't believe you," she snapped, stomping back towards her seat.

Rivalz watched her with awe the entire time, the grin blooming on his face a telltale sign of his enthusiasm. _Yes! Lloyd - 0._ Even if Lloyd and Milly weren't engaged anymore, they had been once, and he resented Lloyd for it.

But while Rivalz may have been admiring Milly's spunk, a few members of the audience were far less adoring. "If there are _any_ crazies around here," Cornelia began quietly, and very slowly, "it would be Millicent Ashford." _To think a woman like that was part of a noble family, once._

"And Lloyd Asplund," Guilford added.

She nodded in agreement. "Definitely." _Although, it_ is _impressive how the Ashford heiress managed to shut Asplund up like that, even if slapping is hardly the move of a woman._ She, herself, liked to resort to the quite unladylike move when the time called for it.

 ** _"Z-01 Lancelot now activating, Lancelot activating. Releasing hatch. Z-01 Lancelot standby for activation..."_**

 **"Did you read the manual?"**

 **"Pretty much," Suzaku answered, zipping up his pilot suit. The assistant—Ms. Cecile—continued to converse with him through the comm unit fitted onto his ear.**

 **"Well done." She congratulated, "You scored at the top of the class in the simulator."**

 **"Hey, look," he trailed off, hesitating for a few seconds. "About what you told me earlier..."**

 **"Huh?" She seemed surprised that he was bringing it up, almost as though she'd already forgotten her own words. "Oh, it could be, but the possibility is nearly zero."**

 **"But that means there's still a chance, right?"**

 **"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system isn't outfitted with an ejection mechanism." She reminded him, a stern warning in her voice.**

 **"Okay, I understand, Ms. Cecile."**

 **With a hiss, the black tarp reaching high above and over the towering structure he'd been pointed to was released, and he was face-to-face with a large weapon masked in colors of white and gold.**

 **"That's it?" He whispered, awe-struck.**

 **"Yes," she confirmed, slightly grim. "The advanced weapon designed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps. Lancelot: the world's first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame."**

 **"Well, if you're ready Suzaku, shall we proceed with the initial startup?" Lloyd asked cheerfully.**

 **"Initial startup now proceeding from phase 20," Cecile reported, her voice drowning out those of the other workers. "Equipping energy filler. Initiating devicer setup."**

 **Lloyd and Cecile listened to the process of the startup, and finally, after he heard,** ** _"All readings normal,"_** **his smile broadened and he commented, "So far it's going perfectly."**

 **Suzaku keyed in the code, allowing the wires and plug-ins to be removed from the hulking beast of a Knightmare. "Lancelot," he said determinedly, "Activate M.E. boost."**

 **"Lancelot, launch!" Cecile called out loudly.**

 **At once, no sooner than she'd said those words, Suzaku whizzed off into the distance, the Lancelot skidding off fast enough to leave dust flying in its wake.**

 **"Running full-throttle right out of the gate!" Lloyd remarked, laughing gleefully.**

 **"Cooler than the manual," Suzaku grinned, and then his face twisted into a grimace. "But this..." he gripped his side—the one the bullet had burrowed itself into—and shuddered.**

* * *

 **Tamaki's eyes widened as his attention was alerted onto his screen by the sound of landspinners. But what was spinning towards him was decidedly un-Sutherland-like. "Huh? What is that..? It doesn't** ** _look_** **like a Sutherland..."**

"It doesn't look like a Sutherland? It doesn't look like a _Sutherland_!?" Lloyd mocked, a look of fury crossing his face. "I should _hope_ that it doesn't!" He seethed, whirling around wildly to glare at Tamaki, who cowered beneath his gaze.

"Hey!" Tamaki whined. "It's not my fault I had no idea what your fancy-schmancy Knightmare was."

"The tiniest of brains would have been able to conclude that it _definitely wasn't_ a Sutherland!"

"Are you calling me _stupid_?" Tamaki shouted, standing up angrily.

Lloyd just smiled calmly and said, almost too quietly for Tamaki to hear, "And that just proves the point."

Tamaki's jaw fell, but before he could lunge at the scientist and maybe give him a few good punches on the jaw—or, even better, one of the eyes—Ohgi sighed and reached forward, clapping Tamaki on the shoulder firmly. "Hey, calm down."

Tamaki sneered at Lloyd and sat down huffily.

 **Onscreen, Tamaki's Sutherland was hit in the face by the Lancelot, the force with which he was attacked causing the Frame to crumble inwards.**

"Serves you right!" Lloyd cheered.

Tamaki growled and wished that Ohgi's grip on him would slacken, but if anything, Ohgi only tightened his hold.

 **"Another push and the checkpoint will fall," Lelouch chuckled.**

 **"This is B group, reporting enemy presence!"**

 **"Reinforcement?" He wondered, "Real battle is different, isn't it?" He sighed and lifted the radio to his ear. "Status?"**

 **"Everybody checked it, but they took out four units in nothing flat!"**

 **"Enemy numbers?"**

 **"Just one," Lelouch heard and gasped, shocked. "I think it's a new model. Never seen anything like it—" the man screamed suddenly.**

 **"What's happening out there!?" Lelouch demanded, eyes narrowing.**

 **Out in the battlefield, Lancelot was busying itself with defeating its enemies, taking them out one by one and defending himself from their attacks. "Bastard!" One of the resistance members yelled out angrily.**

 **"What?" Lelouch whispered. "It deflects bullets?"**

 **Another shout on the radio, "Yeah! What do we do!? Yoshida—!"**

 **The connection was cut off with another scream and a scatter of static and Lelouch frowned.** ** _Useless so-called terrorists._**

"Hey!" Tamaki was the first to react, jumping to his feet and shrugging Ohgi's hand off. He glared at the screen and shook his fist threateningly at the Lelouch depicted on it, "I'll show you 'useless!'" He seethed.

Ohgi nodded in agreement, "Like he can do any better."

Kallen looked away, a little hurt by his words even though she knew that they were still practically strangers at that point.

 ** _With all the resources they have, they're being beaten by one unit._**

 **One of the resistance fighters cursed when the Lancelot evaded him by launching himself into the air. "Damn it!" He screamed, just as the Lancelot swung down and crushed him with a well-timed kick to the face of the Sutherland.**

* * *

 **"Yes, I can do this!" Suzaku said, "With Lancelot, I can stop all this at once!"**

* * *

 **"N4, N5, hold there," Lelouch ordered. "When the rear units arrive, surround that thing."**

 **"Gotcha."**

 **They held their positions and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the Lancelot when it approached—it was no use. The beast leapt forward and slammed both Sutherlands hard. "We can't stop it!"**

 **"N units, what is it!?" Lelouch yelled, beginning to panic. His heart hammered faster, louder. "What happened? Something I didn't foresee?"**

"What? Does he think he's a _God_?" Someone in the audience muttered disdainfully—Kallen thought it might have been Cornelia. Privately, she agreed, although she knew that after working with Lelouch as Zero that, indeed, he _was_ able to predict mostly everything that could happen.

 **"For Heaven's sake," Clovis sighed, "Now I'll owe my older brother a debt I don't mean to incur." He smiled, relieved, and walked away, back to his throne. "It's for the best, though."**

"His older brother?" Rivalz wondered. "Which one? There are so many princes and princesses in the royal family it's hard to keep track." His eyes widened and he ducked his head in embarrassment, _Did I say that out loud?_

"He meant the Second Prince," Cecile said helpfully. "His Highness Schneizel el Britannia. He funded the Camelot."

"Oh," Rivalz mumbled, still flustered.

 **Ohgi screamed loudly as the Lancelot began to attack him.**

 **"P1, report!" Lelouch's gaze darkened. "The enemy... can it really be only one unit?"**

* * *

 **"These readings are even higher than predicted," Cecile said, awe-struck.**

 **"It's because our pilot's taking his job very seriously," Lloyd told her with a jovial bounce.**

* * *

 **"If I can stop all of the Knightmares then this battle is over," Suzaku thought aloud. "No matter what it takes, I have to save Lelouch and that girl!"**

"How ironic that Suzaku's motivation is to save Lelouch, and yet the one is is striving to stop and defeat is Lelouch as well," Lloyd chuckled. "Amusing, indeed."

Zero gritted his teeth, listening to Lloyd ramble on. _Amusing? From the outside looking in, maybe._ He wished he'd known that Lelouch was his enemy from the very beginning; maybe, if he'd found out before the tragedy of the SAZ and Euphemia, he and Lelouch would have been able to work it out and help each other. They had been best friends, after all, and back then there was nothing they couldn't do together.

 _Or at least we could have agreed to disagree and left it at that,_ he thought. _And I could have made it clear from the start that he should avoid harming Euphie._

 **With a quiet gasp, Suzaku spotted yet another Sutherland through the thermal views on his Lancelot, hidden within one of the taller buildings nearby. Grappling himself onto the building, he swung himself onto the floor the Sutherland was and launched a fist towards it.**

 **"You mean this thing's what ruined my plan!?" Lelouch asked to himself, wide-eyed as he tried to fend the new model off.**

 **"Are you the guy that's in command?" Suzaku yelled out, driving Lelouch back.**

 **"Nothing more than a pilot!" Lelouch ground out, shaking. "How dare they—!" He was cut off when the floor supporting both he and the Lancelot collapsed beneath them, sending them falling.**

 **"I've no choice: I've got to get out of here!" Lelouch determined to himself, and then grunted in surprise when he saw the Lancelot flying towards him with a spinning kick, sending him crashing onto the ground.**

 **Before the Lancelot could finish him off, though, another Knightmare cut into the battle, blocking the Lancelot's fist with it's own, distinctly familiar red fist. "Hey!" Kallen called out towards the fallen Sutherland, "I'm returning the favor!"**

"Damn, Kallen," Tamaki commented sullenly, "If only you'd let him be and let Fate run his course, maybe he wouldn't have lived long enough to become a demon."

Kallen averted her eyes silently, grounding her teeth in anger. _Shut up, Tamaki,_ she seethed inwardly—but she _did_ wonder what would have happened if she hadn't interfered.

Still… _Lelouch,_ she thought, _I need to know the truth._

 **Lelouch stared at her in surprise.**

 **Kallen's eyes widened and her face contorted with shock. "I can't..!" She cursed and pulled the ejection lever, sending herself hurtling into the sky.**

 **Rolling away, Lelouch reminded himself sternly,** ** _I must remember that the most vital element in battle is the human one._** **His attention was drawn to behind him and he saw the Lancelot barreling towards him out of the corner of his eye.**

 **Spinning around, he maneuvered himself backwards while firing away at the other Knightmare. Realizing it was futile when the Lancelot agilely avoided all his bullets, he changed his tactics and emptied his rounds onto the building beside them. Debris fell all around the Lancelot, but still Suzaku swerved around the falling concrete with ease.**

 **"That damn monster's unstoppable!" Lelouch screamed.**

 **"Bastard," Suzaku swore, "He's tearing things apart for no reason!" He was alerted to yet another falling projectile by the ringing in his Lancelot, but when he turned to look, it was a woman and a baby cradled in her arms, screaming as they fell.**

 **Unable to help himself, Suzaku swerved around and leapt up, catching both the mother and the child in one of the Lancelot's hands.**

 ** _In the midst of battle he rescues someone?_** **Lelouch wondered in surprise, slowing to a stop as he watched the Lancelot move. He huffed,** ** _I'll concede you the tactical victory here. Nevertheless…_** **He ejected himself.**

* * *

 **"Huh?" Lloyd asked, flabbergasted. "He** ** _saved_** **someone?"**

 **"Yes," one of the men answered swiftly. "So it would seem."**

 **"Hmm…" Lloyd smiled and walked away, "It's very strange of him."**

"I'd have to agree," Ohgi commented. "The same man who rose to become Knight of Seven? The same Knight who killed so many under the banner of Emperor Charles? And he saved a woman during battle?"

"It is indeed odd," Rakshata agreed.

"Perhaps not," Todoh added in his two cents. "When he was a boy, Kururugi always had very idealistic morals—no bloodshed, no lying. He was always a pacifist."

"A _pacifist_?" Tamaki echoed, incredulous.

Todoh nodded. "He had honor, once."

"That must have changed somewhere along the line, then," Chiba spat. "He became the White Death of Britannia."

Todoh nodded wordlessly.

Listening to the exchange, Zero's chest squeezed painfully. _That's right. I used to have morals while I learnt under Todoh. Lelouch and I were different from the beginning—as a prince, he'd been taught that there was nothing wrong with a little deception here and there. To think we would have diverged so much that we would end up fighting on opposite sides of the same war._

He, of course, didn't miss the irony—he would have had to be blind to. _At the beginning, we were a prince of Britannia fighting for Japan, and the son of the Japanese Prime Minister fighting for Britannia. It sounds like the plot of a movie, almost._ He snorted.

 **After she'd been set down onto the ground, the lady he'd saved stared up at him, shaking uncontrollably with fear. With a frightful scream, she ran away, making Suzaku blink in surprise.**

 **"Suzaku?" Cecile asked, appearing on his screen with a concerned expression on her face. "Are you tired? We'll call it quits for today."**

 **Suzaku made the Lancelot stand upright, to its full height. "No," he denied, "I'm fine. Please let me keep going."**

* * *

 **Outside the trailer of the A.S.E.E.C., Lloyd advised, "Be careful with his operational time."**

 **"Yes, sir!" Cecile shouted back, voice muffled by the walls confining her inside.**

 **"My, that boy's an excellent piece of equipment," Lloyd remarked, smirking.**

"Equipment?" Rakshata repeated, glancing at Lloyd with raised eyebrows. "My, Earl of Pudding, how cruel."

"Well…" Lloyd trailed off, only to be elbowed roughly by Cecile.

"How could you think of Suzaku as a _piece of equipment_?" She quoted, glaring at him, obviously upset.

Lloyd shrugged, not trying to defend himself.

Cecile scowled and rolled her eyes, knowing that Lloyd was just like that, thinking of everything and everyone around him as parts of a machine.

 **Near the G1, a foot soldier noticed someone approaching and raised his gun and shouted threateningly, demanding, "Stop there! Your ID. This is Prince Clovis'** ** _personal_** **transport."**

 **"At last, the checkpoint," the other soldier smirked—his voice was distinctly Lelouch's. He raised his arms and removed his helmet. "And barely guarded per my plan."**

 **"Your plan?" The foot soldier hissed back, tensing.**

 **"That's right," Lelouch said arrogantly, "Now I'd like you to let me pass."**

 **His military stance slacking, the foot soldier nodded and allowed, "Yes, sir. Understood."**

 **The** ** _Geass_** **glinting in Lelouch's eye faded slowly.**

"Clovis," Cornelia whispered, her heart wrenching. She sat on the edge of her chair, stiff and tense with her anticipation—if this was her brother's personal transport, then there was no doubt what "the checkpoint" signified.

Although a part of her feared for her brother, the other part was desperate to know what had happened between the two siblings before Clovis' death—what had ultimately led Lelouch to killing him?

 _If Clovis had done something different, would you have spared him?_ She couldn't help but wonder.

 **Kallen ran, panting, intent on searching a place to hide and rest when Ohgi intercepted her, waving over. "Kallen!" He called.**

 **"It's your fault!" One of the Elevens accused. "This is what happens when you oppose the Britannians!"**

 **Tamaki, incensed, shot back, "What!? Why, you gutless coward—!"**

 **"How many people were killed because of this!?" A woman asked, sobbing, hands wrapped around her head.**

 **"Shut up!" Tamaki yelled, gun still held firmly in his hands. "Do you know how many of us were killed or captured? Do you!?"**

 **The Elevens refused to be quiet, screaming and crying. "Quit crying!" Tamaki ordered, furious.**

 **"Ohgi," Kallen asked lowly, "Who was that voice we heard?"**

 **"Damn if I know," Ohgi replied, lowering himself to a sitting position on the floor of the warehouse. "He doesn't answer when I call, so maybe he—" Before he could finish his sentence, Kallen inhaled sharply and whirled around, just as the warehouse doors burst open, army tanks rolling in.**

 **"There, you see!" Tamaki shouted angrily at Ohgi, turning around to face him with an outraged look on his face. "Instead of following somebody we don't even know we should have used the poison gas!"**

 **Ohgi was halfway to rising to his feet, face frozen on an expression of horror and fear. "But he—!"**

 **"Damn Nagata to hell!" Tamaki spat.**

"Nagata…" Ohgi mourned quietly, wishing he'd been able to save his friend. He hadn't even _known_ what had happened to Nagata until now, and the truth crushed him.

Tamaki looked away awkwardly, uncomfortable.

 **Britannian soldiers climbed off of the tank, pointing guns everywhere. "So this is where you Eleven vermin scurried off to," one of the soldiers sneered. "Prepare to fire!" He issued, raising one of his arms. The other soldiers all raised their gun to aim, lowering themselves into firing stances.**

 **Tears in her eyes and terror in her posture, Kallen shook her head, as if in denial. "Naoto!" She whimpered.**

"Goddamnit," Kallen muttered, closing her eyes and wishing she could disappear into a hole. On the screen, visible to everyone else, she was showing such _weakness,_ and she hated herself for it.

She avoided the pitying stares—how she _despised_ pity—of anyone who dared give her one, sinking deeper into her seat and making herself as small as possible.

 **"Commence—" Before anyone could follow the man's orders, though, another voice echoed in the warehouse:**

 **"Attention all forces!" It was Clovis la Britannia. "Cease fire at once!"**

 **Ohgi's eyes widened.**

 **In his Lancelot, Suzaku wondered, confused,** ** _Cease fire?_**

 **"I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal Viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you: all forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease destruction of any building or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, will be treated equally, without prejudice! In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered—cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"**

* * *

 **T** **he lights in the command deck shut off. "Are you satisfied?" Clovis sneered once he'd finished issuing the ceasefire.**

 _Oh, God,_ Cornelia thought, _this is it. Clovis…_

 **"Very. Well done."**

 **"And what shall we do now?" Clovis mocked, leaning his chin on one hand. "Sing a few lively ballads? Or perhaps a nice game of chess?"**

 **"That has a familiar ring," the intruder commented calmly, walking forward.**

 **"Hmm," Clovis scoffed.**

 **"Don't you recall?" The disguised soldier continued, reaching up and tossing off his helmet. "The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."**

 **"What?" Clovis whispered.**

 **"Remember?" He prodded. "At the Aries Villa?"**

 **"You!" Clovis hissed, face a painting of fury. "Who are you?"**

 **"It's been a long time, big brother," Lelouch said with a smirk, striding into the light, gun still poised to shoot.**

 **Clovis, in his shock, stood up from his throne, eyes as wide as saucers and face as pale as a ghost.**

 **"The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and seventeenth in line to the Imperial throne," he introduced, lowering himself into a graceful kneel, his free arm splayed across his chest. "Lelouch vi Britannia, at your service."**

 **"Lelouch?" Clovis asked quietly, noticeably shaking. "B-But I thought—"**

 **"That I was dead?" Lelouch finished knowingly. "You were wrong."**

 **Clovis gasped audibly—loudly—unable to speak.**

 **"I have returned, Your Highness, and I have come back to change** ** _everything_** **."**

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's it for Stage 02. Again, sorry for the long wait, and I hope you enjoyed that. Also,** **I apologize for any mistakes, whether they are spelling, grammar, or script related. In my rush to post this** **—it's already been way too long and if I went over it again I'm sure I would take even _longer_** **—I forsook proofreading it, so I hope you can ignore mistakes and such.**

 **To those of you who've read A Demon Emperor's Last Words and asked if there would be a second chapter, I know that I said I would almost definitely give you guys one, but right now, I have no idea what would even _go_ in a next chapter. Back when I first posted the fanfic, I had actually already written the beginnings of a second chappie, which was why I was pretty much sure that I could deliver that to you all. But, despite that, I must admit that things have derailed since then, and I've pretty much stopped writing for that fanfic. So, yeah, I'm just not sure anymore—I don't believe there necessarily _needs_ to be a continuation for that, since it was originally designed as a one-shot, but I did consider it and, at the time, it seemed like a good idea. If there's still demand for a next chapter, I will, of course, do my best to post that for you, but I can't make any promises.**

 **That aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of TTHM. Another thing I decided to bring up is that I've received a few messages and suggestions regarding the style I'm doing this "watch the series" fanfic, so I'm asking if I should keep recording every single thing—as a few users have recommended—of if I should shorten the length drastically and avoid mentioning every line, every action, every moment—as some have said would be easier. I guess the only thing left to say is: please review so I can know what to improve and all that stuff—and also tell me what you think about the aforementioned style-thing, as well as your thoughts on a second chapter for A Demon Emperor's Last Words.**

 **Have a Happy New Year, everybody!**

 **Bye for now ~**

* * *

 _— sfaye-chan._


	6. Stage 03: The False Classmate

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Geass.**

* * *

 **Stage 03: The False Classmate**

* * *

Li Xingke was a man of his honor; a warrior and a general with years of experience under his belt.

Despite this, he could understand Lelouch. Or maybe it was because of it.

He may be honorable—he would rather die with pride than live with shame—and this may have made him abhor the late emperor's deeds, but that did not mean that, buried within him, Lelouch wasn't just as honorable. He'd worked with Lelouch before, and although it may have been a short, brief time and he may have not been close with Lelouch, Xingke did remember a person underneath the mask.

He remembered that, sometimes, even though Lelouch believed that he kept his feelings corked tight in a bottle, a few things would slip and he would be privy to a broken boy who loved his sister. A boy who would have given his life for her, if need be.

And Demon Emperor or not, Xingke was sure that that boy had never truly died, not until the very end. _Maybe receiving Geass dulled that boy inside him,_ Xingke mused. _Or maybe the Geass strengthened only his wish to protect her._ With Lelouch dead, he had no way of knowing the truth.

Except for this.

He didn't know how the movie—documentary?—came to be, especially with all the supernatural elements it was presenting, but Xingke was glad for the truths it would doubtlessly give him.

 _Especially the truth of Geass,_ he thought, biting back a scowl. As much as he could empathize with Lelouch, the Britannian's power was something he couldn't fathom. In all honesty, the power frightened him. How was it that there were beings with untold abilities, with the power to manipulate even the very minds of the people? How could that _be_?

He shuddered. _Thank God he was so focused on defeating Britannia,_ he breathed out a silent sigh of relief. It frightened him to think of what Lelouch vi Britannia could have done to his empress if he had decided to turn his anger onto the Chinese Federation after all that had happened.

Even so, even knowing that Lelouch had killed and manipulated mercilessly, Li Xingke couldn't help but admire the late emperor. _He fought for his sister,_ the Chinese remembered. _That, at the very least, is a cause I can respect. In that sense, we are alike, Lelouch vi Britannia. We both fight for someone precious to us._

Silently, Xingke wondered if he would have accepted the Geass if he'd been in Lelouch's position—and he knew, without a doubt, what the answer was. _Yes. For Empress Tianzi's sake, I would've._ There was no hesitation in his thoughts. He would have moved hell and heaven themselves for her sake—just as the General was sure Lelouch would have done for his sister.

Xingke's gaze dropped to his lap. He stared at his hands, imagining the blood that stained them. He'd killed enough men to protect his Empress to know that he was past the point of redemption. _Let's just see what other sins you've committed with your bloodstained hands, shall we, Demon Emperor?_

The Chinese General could accept that Lelouch had fought for his sister. He could accept, and even understand, that Lelouch had willingly declared war for her sake. He knew, deep down inside him, that he would have done the same for Tianzi.

But Xingke had seen the Demon Emperor take arms against the sister he claimed to love. He'd witnessed Lelouch chain his sister to his float, that fateful day. And he would _never_ understand why Lelouch would do that, when everything he'd ever done was for her. He would never accept it.

"Kallen."

Xingke glanced up when he heard a woman's voice call for the Ace of the Black Knights. He traced the voice back to a young woman with blonde hair and downcast sapphire eyes. She looked nervous, he observed.

"What is it, Milly?" Kallen asked quietly, not wanting to break the spell of silence cast on the audience. The half-breed got up from her current seat, where she'd been watching Jeremiah suspiciously, and walked over to her friend, taking the empty chair directly beside Milly that Rivalz wasn't already occupying.

Milly looked away for a moment, closing her eyes. And then they snapped open and she stared at Kallen with an intensity anyone looking would have been shocked at. "Please, Kallen." Her determined gaze cracked slightly and her eyes teared. "Help me remember."

Kallen's eyes widened. "Milly—"

"I need to _remember_ , Kallen. I can't just—!" She flinched and her voice softened from her hysterical pitch. "Please. I have to remember. I _want_ to remember. How could I just _forget_ someone?"

"Kallen." The red-haired ace turned to face her other friend, who looked just as pleading. "You'll help us, won't you?"

Audibly regretfully, Kallen explained quietly, "I can't." Rivalz and Milly looked at her sharply, eyes narrowing. "Geass is..."

"Irreversible."

The three friends glanced at the woman who had interrupted their conversation. It was Cornelia, a venomous glare on her face.

Kallen's lips pressed into a thin line. "Your Highness," she hissed the term like it was poison on her tongue.

Cornelia pointedly ignored her animosity. " _Geass_ is a cruel thing, Ms. Ashford. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the Demon Emperor's Geass is irreversible."

Milly's eyes narrowed. She didn't know what she'd forgotten, but she knew that, despite his title as Demon Emperor, he'd been her friend, once. "Lelouch would _never_ —"

"—Geass his own friends?" Cornelia cut in coldly, glaring down at Milly. "He Geassed his _sister,_ Ashford. He is capable of crueler things than you'd imagine."

Kallen's teeth gritted. She wanted to defend him, but found she couldn't. Her fists shook. _I want to believe in you, Lelouch, but Cornelia is right. You used your Geass on Princess Euphemia—who's to say you wouldn't use it on Milly and Rivalz? And the facts are laid clearly on the table… They've lost their memories, and we've all seen what you can do with your Geass._

 _…No. Wait. His father. That's the reason why he was missing for a year, wasn't it? C.C. said—she said it had something to do with his father. The 98th emperor had Geass?_

While Kallen struggled with her inner turmoil, Jeremiah and Sayoko watched the altercation tensely. "They're insulting him again," he muttered resentfully.

Sayoko nodded beside him, resigned. "There's nothing we can do right now."

He hissed in frustration as his Geass Canceller flashed its signature blue. "I could cancel it," he pointed out, fists clenching and unclenching. He wanted to. More because he wanted to show Cornelia how wrong she was than because he wanted to help the students.

"You know there are more drawbacks than benefits," Sayoko countered calmly, although he noticed the fire raging in her eyes. "They don't know that such a canceller of Geass exists. It's not time for them to know yet."

"If they're going to find out anyway…"

"And they are also currently unaware of Emperor Charles' Geass," Sayoko continued, as if he'd never even spoken. "You know what Master Lelouch would want us to do."

"He'd want us to help his friends," Jeremiah said. "He'd want us to defend his honor."

Sayoko smiled mirthlessly. "He'd want us to protect the Zero Requiem."

"It's falling to pieces already, no matter what we do," he argued, but without much conviction. He knew as well as she did that Lelouch had always cared about his scheme more than himself. And he also knew that the audience would eventually find out the truth even if he didn't use his Geass Canceller.

"Jeremiah…"

He sighed and relented, wrenching his eyes away from the confrontation occurring as he instead focused on the screen. Still, his thoughts remained with the students—the victims of Geass. He never forgot the anguish that stained their eyes. _If I were in their shoes, wouldn't I want to be released of its hold?_

The empress started the video for them all to watch, and he was momentarily distracted by the colors and the sound, but he still thought of them. And he thought of his lord, who'd been repressed and forced to submit under his father's heel as the character of Lelouch Lamperouge, until C.C. had found him a year later.

 **"The date was August 10 in the year 2010 in the Imperial calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire had just declared war upon Japan. Confronted by Britannia's newest weapon, the formidable Knightmare Frame, Japan fell to its enemy in less than a month. The conquered nation was stripped of its freedom, rights, culture, and dignity. Finally, even its name was taken away. Eleven. The name of Japan and its people was replaced with a mere number."**

* * *

 **Stage 03:**

 **The False Classmate**

* * *

 ** _"Why the hell are we letting the Elevens go? What about the poison gas they've stolen!?"_**

 ** _"But it's by order of Prince Clovis!"_**

 ** _"What about Bartley? Get the general staff online."_**

 ** _"They're not at their posts, sir!"_**

 ** _"Are you telling me Prince Clovis is alone on the con?"_**

* * *

 **Lelouch cocked his gun threateningly, lowering it on Clovis who tried to smile. "I'm overjoyed, Lelouch! They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back. We should depart for the homeland immediately."**

 **His eyes narrowed. "So you can use me as a tool for diplomacy? It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place."**

Nunnally's lips pressed into a thin line. _Oh, brother._ He had always worried about being dragged into their father's control again—even though he'd tried to hide it from her, she knew he fretted. She'd always known.

 **Clovis' eyes widened and he gasped, despite himself.**

 **"That's right." Lelouch's jaw shifted. "It was because my mother was killed."**

 **Instantly, as soon as he'd finished speaking, the setting changed. Gunshots rang out as bullets and sparks of fire pierced a pair of large windows. Even as blood pooled on the previously immaculate staircase, now riddled with bullet holes, Lelouch's voice continued to echo, narrating, "Mother held the title of Knight of Honor, but was a commoner by birth. No doubt the other Imperial consorts held her in contempt."**

 _Those consorts would be fools,_ Jeremiah thought, his shoulders squaring in anger. _And whether or not they held her in contempt… We admired her. She handpicked all of her guards to ensure that they'd be completely loyal to her—and we were._

 **The memory panned upwards to reveal the broken body of Lady Marianne sprawled above a younger Nunnally, whose eyes were wide and quivering.**

Nunnally bit her lip and averted her eyes, a little disconcerted at seeing herself as she'd once been. The sight of her mother only served to increase the tears prickling her skin.

Staring away from the projected video, Nunnally noticed the tightness in Zero's stance and narrowed her eyes, paying close attention to him as, in the background, her mother's death played on. _Suzaku?_

 **There were bloody footsteps scattered all over the stairs, and two guards who lay dead. Lelouch stood at the top of the stairway, shaking visibly in fear. "Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists," he hissed venomously, back in the command center, "I'm no fool. You people killed my mother!"**

 **Clovis was pale with horror. "It wasn't me! I swear to you it wasn't!"**

 **"Then tell me everything you know," Lelouch commanded. "The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer!" His eye glowed with Geass. "By whose hand was she slain?"**

Even though she tried to restrain herself, Cornelia leaned forward, perched on the edge of her seat. Although she despised the power, she knew what Geass could do, and she thirsted for Clovis' answer. She doubted he knew any more than she had, but perhaps she was wrong. _Still, did Lelouch care that much? To even use his Geass?_

The brother she'd known did. He had _always_ loved and adored his mother and sister. Always. But the Demon Emperor whose death she cheered for was cruel, merciless, and emotionless. Could someone who'd ordered the deaths of millions be so moved over the murder of one?

 _It must have been Geass. That power—it must have corrupted him._ She scowled, her hatred for the supernatural power growing.

 **Clovis sagged in his throne as all traces of panic disappeared in a flash. The red rims surrounding his eyes were proof of Lelouch's hold on him. "My brother, Second Prince Schneizel and Second Princess Cornelia. They can tell you."**

Cornelia's eyes widened and a snarl ripped from her chest before she could stop herself? Clovis—he had thought _she_ was behind Lady Marianne's murder? _I admired her! More than anyone!_ Her teeth gritted— _did you really think so low of me? To believe I would kill her? Clovis…_

 **It seemed Lelouch agreed with her as he asked in disbelief, "They were at the heart of this?"**

 **Clovis parted his mouth to answer but then remained silent, and Lelouch sighed, "That's all that you know, isn't it?"**

 **The mark of Geass faded from Clovis' eyes and they snapped wide open as he jerked upright. "I swear it wasn't me!" he cried out. "I had nothing to do with it!" He raised his arms in surrender.**

 **"I believe you," Lelouch said, lowering his gun, causing Clovis' arms to drop in relief. Lelouch's smirk grew bitter. "However," he muttered, raising the gun again.**

 **"Please, you can't! We may have different mothers but we're still blood!"**

 **"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."**

Sayoko smiled with admiration, and although she mourned his death she knew she would always respect what lay behind it, hidden by his mask of tyranny. He had always been ahead of his time—wise, selfless, too good for this world.

"Hold up!" Rivalz yelped, interrupting her thought process. He was staring, narrow-eyed, at the screen, which showcased Lelouch's finger tightening over the trigger. " _Lelouch_ killed Prince Clovis?"

"Obviously," Chiba snarked. "Have you only just gotten that?"

"B-But—!" Rivalz sputtered. "Zero said _he_ was responsible for Prince Clovis' death! Or did Zero lie?"

"Rivalz," Milly hissed, flushing at the feel of everyone's eyes on him. "Stop making such a fool of yourself!"

"But Milly," he whispered back. "Aren't you the least bit confused?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm sure we'll figure it out if we go along for the ride," she explained. "Besides…" she frowned and glanced fleetingly at Empress Nunnally. She lowered her voice and whispered, "There are enough things making me confused."

"...this makes no sense," Rivalz complained. "Then this means Lelouch killed his own brother!"

"He was the Demon Emperor, Rivalz," Milly said, tiredly. "Nothing he does makes sense."

Sobered by Milly's words, Rivalz kept his silence as he wondered about what she meant. Finally, he grunted and said, "I know you don't believe that."

"What is there to _not_ believe?" she asked, humorlessly. "The evidence was everywhere. Our Lelouch—the one who went to Ashford—did not exist in the Demon."

"Then... then you don't _want_ to believe it."

"What does it matter what I want? The truth is the truth."

Stunned, Rivalz dropped his gaze and did not reply, bothered. _What happened, Lelouch? Why did you become the Demon Emperor? What about... what about Rolo?_

 **As though imitating the sound of a gunshot, a flock of birds flew off as the sun shone, signaling a change in time. "Wake up, Lelouch! I know you were sleeping; your hands stopped moving!" Milly scolded, whacking her vice-president on the head with a roll of newspaper.**

Tamaki whistled in surprise. "Not only did you call him _Lulu_ of all things, you also got around _beating him up_?"

All too aware of Rivalz's grave mood, Milly just shrugged, trying to smile. "I wasn't really beating him up…" she reasoned. "It was a rolled up stack of newspapers."

Tamaki said nothing in return, too busy laughing.

 **"Well, you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?"**

 **Rivalz crowed triumphantly. "Serves you right for ditching me like that!"**

 **"That's right," Shirley said with a frown. "What was up with you yesterday?**

 **Lelouch faltered and, quietly, mumbled, "Oh. Well..."**

 **Before he could weave up one excuse or another, Milly interrupted, "That's enough, you guys. Let's not get sidetracked here. If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities' budget, there won't be money left for anything at all!"**

 **"And if it comes to that point..." Nina whimpered.**

 **Rivalz grinned. "The Equestrian Club will be pissed! We don't want them coming in here on horseback." As if to prove his point, a student rode past the window, his horse neighing.**

 **"Rivalz!" Milly admonished. "Can't you be a more serious Student Council member?"**

 **"You know," Shirley started, eyes glinting with displeasure, "it would have been nice of you if you could've reminded us about this mess a day ago!"**

 **"I would have to say a day later," Rivalz chimed in. "Then we would've given up."**

 **Lelouch laughed, leaning forward. "Good idea. We can still do that."**

 **Scowling as her fists shook, Milly inhaled deeply and yelled, "GUTS!"**

"Like I said," Cornelia muttered under her breath so that only Guilford could hear. "She is _definitely_ not of the right mind."

He nodded agreeably. "There has to be _at least_ a dozen loose screws in that head."

 **"You trying that 'Guts' spell again?" Rivalz groaned.**

 **"Yep. I want you people to start putting your all into this."**

 **"I really don't think your 'magic's' going to do a whole lot."**

 **"Actually, it's got me going, Madame President!" Shirley said enthusiastically, raising an arm.**

 **"Supple _and_ willing, that's what I like!"**

 **Shirley smiled and said proudly, "I train hard in the Gymnastics Club!" She grasped her arm and flexed it with a grin.**

 **"That's _not_ what I was getting at," Milly said with her eyebrows arched, unimpressed by Shirley's perception.**

 **Shirley blinked. "Huh?"**

 **"You're a ten." Milly smirked slyly, eyes lidding. "From what I've seen in the girl's bathroom, anyway. You've been filling out in all the right places, huh?"**

 **Rivalz chuckled lowly as Shirley's arms flung around her chest and she exclaimed, blushing deep red, "What are you talking about, you perv!?"**

 **"Gee, that President's just a dirty old man on the inside! Sullying the meeting with her dirty mind!"**

 **"Yeah, well," Nina said timidly. "That's Milly for you."**

 **Rivalz laughed loudly. "Look on the bright side—we got the budget balanced, didn't we?" The three students walked towards their classroom, side-by-side.**

 **"They used poison gas?" one of their classmates asked in audible surprise, hunched over the screen of his laptop with two other students.**

 **"Man, that's freaky," the other boy remarked. "Shinjuku's only thirty minutes from here!"**

Nina frowned pensively as she read aloud from the screen, "Shinjuku ghetto sealed off to deal with poison gas." She became intimately aware of the others' scrutinizing stares on her and flushed, trying to explain herself, "But there _was_ no poison gas! So... the media was lying, all along?" she wondered to herself and whimpered in realization.

Milly smiled sadly. "Oh, Nina."

 _I always believed in the empire,_ Nina thought. It was the very reason why, when she'd heard them conversing about the subject of the poison gas, she distinctly remembered wondering why the Elevens were so brutal. _And to think I was wrong all this time. Yes, the Elevens—Japanese, now—have their own fair share of evil citizens, but then so must we._

Had she been blind all this time?

 **"Oh my God, I saw smoke rising over in Shinjuku!" the only female of the three exclaimed. "That must have been the gas."**

 **"Are they saying anything else about it?" one of the boys asked, just as Lelouch walked towards his three friends from the Student Council.**

 **Shirley, hearing his footsteps and sensing his presence, turned slightly to face him. "Shinjuku?" she asked him, a curious lilt to her tone.**

 **Lelouch nodded, smiling slightly. "I heard about it in real time from a friend. That's why I called you about it yesterday."**

 **"Hey!" the boy with the laptop called out, averting their attention. "Check out the footage of those dead Elevens."**

"Despicable," Todoh hissed, indignation in his eyes. These were but students—they were still so _young_ —and already they'd been conditioned by the Social Darwinism of Britannia?

Chiba nodded agreeably. "The nerve of them," she sneered.

 _Our men risked their lives in the line of danger, and these students would mock their sacrifice like this?_ Todoh thought to himself angrily, unable to help himself from resenting them, youthful and faultless as they were. They weren't to blame for the loss of the Japanese people's freedom, but they still had a hand in furthering the pain. _They might not fight the war, but they ridicule and shun the Japanese._

Rivalz flinched, hearing Todoh and Chiba's exchange. _So this is what you dealt with all the time, Leouch,_ he mused. He watched the screen and listened to his classmates as they talked around, completely unaware of the truth. _He_ had been unaware, too. _You fought injustice and racism while we blinded ourselves to the problems surrounding us. You raised arms against Britannia while I pretended that everything was fine._

 ** _This is strange... why would they cover it up?_ Lelouch wondered to himself, eyes narrowing. He remembered his half-brother's horror, and the memory of Clovis' death haunted him. He recalled the way he pulled the trigger, without mercy, and his eyes widened. His hand flung to his mouth and he fought back the wave of nausea that rolled through him and swallowed down the bile rising up in his throat.**

" _Holy_ ," Tamaki whispered. "He almost threw up?"

Cornelia looked away. _Lelouch, I see that even you were innocent once._ But she remembered the way he'd gunned down Euphemia and steeled her fury, looking back at him. "What changed?" she wondered to Guilford.

"Is it Geass that altered him?" her knight replied in turn.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. _That witch,_ she thought. _Without her influence, Lelouch would still be living peacefully in Ashford Academy… and Euphie would be alive. With me._

Kallen shivered. She, too, remembered the green-haired Code-bearer and scowled in distaste. _I never liked her,_ she scoffed. She wished that Lelouch could still be alive as her lazy classmate and Vice-President, Lelouch Lamperouge. Even if it meant Zero never existed, she wished he could have just lived on. _I'm sorry, Lelouch. I should have been there._

Rivalz cracked a sad smile, seeing his friend's vulnerability. "In the end," he said to Milly, "even Lelouch had his weaknesses. A plethora of them."

She nodded quietly. "Because he was human, too, Rivalz."

"Maybe we had a hand in his death," Rivalz mused. He stifled his sadness at the thought. "Maybe, if only we'd been better friends, he could have trusted us, and we could have helped him. Somehow. Someway."

"Maybe," she echoed. He noticed the way she stared at Lelouch, and at Lelouch's guilt, and he redirected his stare to the screen. He traced the lines of Lelouch's face in his mind and remembered the way his friend's evil had made its mark—lines, creases and shadows that had never existed before. Rivalz wondered why he had never before realized the Demon Emperor's influence on his friend.

 _I wanted to help you, Lelouch,_ he wanted to yell, but the one person who needed to hear the words was dead. _I could have helped you, if only you had let me. Why didn't you?_ He almost laughed at himself, because he knew that his questions would go unanswered forever. The man he wanted answers from was gone to him.

 ** _Are they hiding Clovis' death to fend off anarchy? But if that's the case, when they finally do announce it..._ Lelouch glanced up at his reflection and snorted, laughing at himself silently. "I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was," he mused.**

 _No kidding,_ Suzaku thought to himself in surprise. _As Zero, you always acted heartless. You wanted to be the vision of pure justice; an ideal and a symbol. You didn't want to appear like one of us... but at the end of the day, you're still the Lelouch I knew as a boy, aren't you?_

 _Then what about Euphie? Did you cry for her, like I did? Did you throw up for her, too?_ His fists curled hatefully. _She's worth more than your tears, Lelouch. She should have lived._ He sneered. Even now, he couldn't forgive Zero—and when reality stared him in the eye and he was forced to reconcile Lelouch with his image of Zero, he couldn't forgive Lelouch, either. But he wanted to.

 **"That ex-civil servant is such a fool," Jeremiah said to Villetta, inside the car they rode on.**

 **She turned her head slightly to face him. "So are you referring to Bartley?"**

 **"The killer has breached our highest security twice already," he said angrily. "This perfunctory inspection is a farce."**

 **She side-eyed him. "Margrave Jeremiah," she began seriously. "Now that Prince Clovis is out of the way, we pure bloods can—"**

 **He lifted a finger to her lips to quieten her, and she fell silent with a surprised inhale. Her eyes widened, and he smirked. "Let _me_ make that call," he said, dropping his hand. "We still need to woo everyone over." **

Sayoko snorted. "Always on your feet, aren't you, Jeremiah? Master Lelouch would be proud," she said, half-sarcastically, half-wistfully. "He would have done the same—never stopped to grieve first, I mean. He would have planned, schemed, and only then, only after he is above everything, would he have mourned."

He nodded agreeably. "That definitely matches my memory of His Majesty," he said. Still, he frowned at the sight of himself on the screen, disappointed. "That doesn't make my follies any worse than they were. I was despicable."

Anya shrugged. "We all were," she said, and Jeremiah smiled bitterly.

On the other side of the theatre, Villetta flushed and avoided Ohgi's persistent gaze. "Be quiet," she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not saying anything," he said defensively.

"I can hear you thinking it," she hissed quietly. She feared glancing up lest she be faced with Cornelia's glare—she could practically feel the woman's anger burning into her. She knew her loyalty belonged to Britannia ultimately, but that did not make her "now that Prince Clovis is out of the way" comment any less incriminating.

 **Lelouch returned to the classroom from the toilet. The first things he heard were the excited remarks of his classmates:**

 **"Kallen! You're back!"**

 **"Sophie's been worried all this time."**

 **"But you're alright, right?"**

 **He cocked his head to the side and observed the commotion with little interest.**

 **"Yeah," the girl sitting down, surrounded by the rest of the students, said. "I just have to take it easy for a little while."**

 **Lelouch's eyes widened and his breath hitched in shock. Her eyes were lidded, her hair smoothed down, and her voice soft, but there was no mistaking her. His mind flashed back to the redhead in the truck. _Of course. That's why she's so familiar._**

 **"Anyway," Kallen continued docilely, "if I stay home any longer, I'll never catch up."**

 **"What's up, buddy?" Rivalz asked cheerily from beside him as he sat down. "See something you like? You have a thing for her, don't you?"**

"Rivalz!" Kallen yelled at her classmate, glaring at him when his head popped out from in front of his chair and he smiled at her sheepishly, chuckling nervously. She growled at him, but inwardly, she flushed, leaning so far forward she was at the edge of her seat as she waited for Lelouch to answer.

 **Shirley, startled as she heard Rivalz speak, glanced at them both, jealous already at the thought of Kallen catching Lelouch's attention.**

 **Lelouch, however, only said, "Just thinking this is a rare event. She hasn't been here at school since this whole term started." He didn't even smile, but he watched her as she laughed along with the girls sitting around her.**

 **"Kallen Stadtfeld," Rivalz began. The scene changed to gym class, showing Kallen as she sat out, watching her classmates play volleyball from her position by the wall. "They say she's sick or something. And she barely showed up last year, either. Still, her grades are at the top of the class, _and_ she's a member of the Stadtfeld family, which means she's well-bred and _rolling_ in money. Man, you sure know how to pick them."**

 **"It's not like that," Lelouch protested.**

 **Rivalz just laughed. "You don't have to hide it. A touch too sheltered, though, if you ask me."**

Kallen burst out laughing, though her cheeks were slightly tinted red at the knowledge that Rivalz had talked to Lelouch about her before in this way.

"Sheltered, huh?" Milly asked, amused.

"Be quiet," Rivalz snapped sullenly. He looked away. "I didn't know!" He remembered seeing Kallen amongst the Black Knights his friend had sentenced to execution, and he remembered the way she'd hung, defeated yet defiant, from her chains. Her hair had been spiked in a subtle notion of rebellion against her Britannian blood, just as it was spiked when Lelouch had seen her in the truck.

 **Kallen was in the middle of eating her lunch when a bee flew into the center of her and her 'friends' and one of them shouted, pointing, "There's a bee! A bee!"**

 **"Oh my God, Kallen, run!"**

 **She stared at it in confusion as the other girls fled.**

 **"Hurry up and run!"**

 **She backed away and crouched behind a bush. "I don't get it, why is a bee after me?" The bee flew closer to her, and her eyes narrowed. "I wonder if there's a hive nearby…" She reached out with her hand and slapped the bee away; it fell limply down onto the grass. "God, I hate this! I'm sick of acting like a freaking invalid!"**

 **She ate a piece of her sandwich and turned, only to see Lelouch standing near her, staring at her intently. She faltered. _Crap, he saw me,_ she thought as she chewed.**

 **His eyes narrowed. _There's no question it's her,_ he thought.**

 **Forcing on her sickly facade again, she asked timidly, "Can—can I help you with something?"**

 **The mark of Geass flared in his eyes, tinting the amethyst of his irises a deep red.**

Kallen's eyes were wide with horror the moment she saw the familiar crane emblazoning his eyes. _So this is it,_ she thought, inhaling sharply as she sat on the edge of her seat, shoulders stiff with tension. Her fingers curled into fists around the hem of her shirt. _Lelouch,_ she thought. _You used your Geass on me. I didn't want to think that you did, but…_

 **"I want answers," he commanded.**

Kallen blinked. "A-answers?" she mumbled to herself. _You asked me… questions?_

Hope clenched inside her stomach.

 **The Geass dove into her eyes and rewired her mind. She straightened immediately, resembling a trained soldier more than the ill student she portrayed at school. "Of course," she said.**

 **"Were you the one piloting the Glasgow in Shinjuku?" he asked.**

 **"Yes," she answered without hesitation.**

 **"Why terrorism?" Lelouch wondered.**

 **There was a slight pause, as though she was collecting herself and considering her answer. "Because I'm Japanese. Though technically I'm half-Britannian."**

 **Lelouch gasped, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Half-blood?" he asked, stunned. He narrowed his eyes at her, regaining his composure. "But why go so far?"**

 **Above them, walking through the hallways of Ashford Academy, was Shirley. She saw the two students conversing through the tall windows and paused.**

 **Kallen's breath hitched as he relinquished his hold on her and the red faded from her eyes. "Um, did you want something?"**

 **"No," he answered coldly. "I got what I wanted here," he said as he turned away and began to walk off. He stopped and wheeled around to face her again. "Oh, wait. Just to be sure…" he trailed off, and yet again, his Geass flared inside his left eye. "Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku."**

 **But this time, its power did not affect her. She sucked in a sharp breath. "What do you mean, about Shinjuku?"**

 **Lelouch inhaled through gritted teeth.**

 **"Why would you say that?" she continued.**

 **"Go back to class," he ordered as he began to panic, Geass still activated.**

 **"As soon as I get an answer to my question, I will!" she snapped back at him, and his mouth fell.**

 ** _It's not working? What's going on here?_ he thought furiously. The Geass faded from his eye, and Kallen continued to glare at him fiercely. He tensed and started to back away when the both of them heard Shirley call out, "Hey, Lulu! Kallen!"**

 **He turned in surprise to see her waving at them from an opened window. "You know it's time to get to the chem lab!" she shouted. "You better get a move on!"**

 **He sensed the opportunity to escape and played along, slapping himself in the head and saying, "Oh, crap! It's my turn to set up for class!" Before Kallen could say anything, he ran away from her, frowning. _It didn't work? But…_**

The look on Kallen's face was priceless. _That's—that's right,_ she recalled. _I remember this happening… It was what drew my suspicions to him in the first place. So... he was telling the truth, then. I chose him. It was all me._

"Kallen…" Tamaki muttered, gaping. "He… he really didn't Geass you, did he?"

She smiled. "No," she answered. "He didn't. My loyalty always belonged to me."

"Then that means…" Tamaki twitched in his seat, eyes smoldering with an angry sort of realization. "He might not have used it on us, either." He swiveled around, gripping the top of his seat so tightly his knuckles whitened, and glared hard at Ohgi and Villetta. "You told us we were under his control! You said we were his slaves..!" he accused, his voice loud and bordering on hysterical. _We betrayed him for nothing?_ he thought to himself, shaking as if in denial.

Kallen snorted from beside him. "And you believed them. Even though Zero was your 'best buddy'," she sneered, spitting out the term as though it burned her tongue. "What a lie."

"Don't act like you're any better!" Tamaki yelled. "You turned against him, too! Don't think I've forgotten—you walked away from him, just like all the rest of us!"

Kallen's lips pressed into a thin, angry line, and she turned away from him stiffly, knowing that his words held truth. When Lelouch's face had appeared on the broadcasts as the 99th emperor, she had never tried defending him, not even to herself. All she'd seen him as was a traitor. _What if I was the traitor?_

She remembered watching Lelouch through blurry vision as he directed her and the other Black Knights on the row to their execution. She remembered hating him. And then she remembered hearing the gasps and seeing Zero race toward Lelouch, wielding the sword that would impale the so-called Demon Emperor. She remembered the sick realization that pierced her.

 _He planned everything,_ she thought furiously, angry with both him, for lying to her to the very end, and at herself, for believing his lies. She shuddered and squeezed her left arm tightly, uncomfortably cold.

"Be quiet, Tamaki," Ohgi snapped, noticing Kallen's visible discomfort. No matter what else had happened, he'd promised her brother that he'd protect her. "This is no time for arguing."

Tamaki laughed deliriously in disbelief. "'This is no time for arguing'?" he repeated, face contorted in disgust. "Then when? When is the time for arguing? Because you lied to us all, Ohgi! You told us he Geassed us, and now I find out that he may not have, at all!"

"All we've seen so far is the Demon Emperor using his Geass on Kallen," Villetta reminded him gently. "We still don't know. He could still have Geassed us."

Tamaki's lips curled into a snarl. "Aren't you _supposed_ to know?" he whispered hatefully. "You were so sure, during the conference with Prince Schneizel. After you corralled us to betraying him, too… for a lie. For an illusion. We probably would never have received Japan, even _if_ we'd brought Zero down—we forgot that Prince Schneizel, too, is a member of the _Britannian royal family_ , famed for their lies. And did he even have the power to give us Japan, in the first place? He was no king."

"Enough!" Ohgi shouted. He glanced at Cornelia, whose eyebrows were furrowed into an angry scowl, and then at the empress, who was looking down with shame. He coughed and redirected the conversation to the topic of Lelouch with a sneer, "He is the Demon Emperor, Tamaki; it'd do you well to remember that. His actions as emperor led him to his doom. He didn't deserve the name of Zero! Maybe he never did."

Beside him, Villetta laid her hand on his leg worriedly. "He's going mad," she whispered to Ohgi, taut with fear. "He's insane; uncontrollable."

Ohgi said nothing, his eyes never leaving Tamaki, who sat glaring at everyone who stared at him.

Chiba leaned toward Todoh slightly. "What do you think?" she whispered. "Is Tamaki right…? Were we truly free of his control?"

"…We'll soon find out," he said roughly.

She swallowed thickly.

 _Holy shit,_ Kallen thought in realization, her eyes widening as she turned back to glance at Tamaki, who trembled in his seat. "Holy _shit,_ " she whispered out loud, too quietly for anyone else to hear. _If we really had been Geassed to be loyal to him, we wouldn't have been able to betray him in the first place,_ she thought, horrified. _How did I not realize that before?_

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure moving in the shadows. She turned slightly, just slightly, and her jaw shifted when she caught a glimpse of a pair of familiar honey-gold eyes. _C.C.,_ she hissed. _Why are you here? You, who knows everything... you, who stayed beside him when no one else would._

She turned her head to the other side and trained one eye on Zero. _It's you, isn't it, Suzaku?_ He had betrayed Lelouch originally, but when it came down to it, even he had chosen Lelouch's side. Unlike her.

Her fists clenched. She could almost feel C.C. smirking at her from beyond her peripheral vision. _We were all fools, weren't we, C.C.? I'm sorry, Lelouch._

 **The scene moved to the residence of the Lamperouge siblings. "Well, what shall we do?" a woman asked softly. "He may be late again, this evening."**

 **"I'll wait," the girl in front of her, who sat on a wheelchair, said, her eyes closed. "He said that we'd have dinner together tonight."**

"So this is where you lived, in Area 11?" Cornelia asked.

" _Japan_!" Todoh snarled.

Cornelia's teeth gritted and she looked away, acknowledging him inwardly but refusing to verbally apologize and correct herself.

Nunnally flinched and, before the situation could escalate, she stepped in and said, "Yes. I stayed with Lelouch in Ashford Academy, where we studied."

Cornelia nodded wordlessly.

"No way," Rivalz muttered. He spared the empress a wary glance and lowered his voice as he said to Milly, "I mean, I guess I always figured that they had to siblings, since they're both royalty, but I never really thought of it… and where's Rolo?" He had, of course, seen the "Geass" at work on the soldiers and on Kallen, and he had listened to Kallen's explanation of Geass and their twisted memories, but still… _I never could have imagined._

Next to him, Milly nodded in agreement. "That's Sayoko," she noted in surprise. "But… I don't remember Empress Nunnally every staying at Ashford. When was this?"

"No, I remember when this happened," Rivalz said. "I remember the chess match, and the Shinjuku debacle. But you're right, Her Majesty was never there. I don't get it."

"Me, too," Milly said. She looked toward her old maid, Sayoko, and toward the two others she was sitting with: Jeremiah Gottwald and the former Knight of Six, Anya Alstreim. _What's happening…? Why aren't my memories correlating with this? All of this confusion… So_ this _is the power of Geass._

 **The Eleven maid in front of her folded the last ends of a pink paper crane and said, "There, now. This one's finished." She held out the crane to the girl.**

 **Nunnally mumbled a quiet, incoherent word of surprise, reaching out her hands to hold the crane. "A bird?" she wondered curiously after feeling it.**

 **Sayoko nodded. "Yes. It's a crane."**

 **"Amazing! The Japanese are so skillful," Nunnally remarked happily.**

 **Sayoko smiled at her.**

 **Suddenly, Nunnally turned her face to stare at the door. Sayoko blinked in confusion and asked, "Lady Nunnally?"**

 **The door slid open and Lelouch walked through the doorway, apologizing, "I'm sorry I'm so late."**

 **"Hi, Lelouch," Nunnally greeted cheerfully. "Welcome home."**

"Holy damn," Gino whistled, chuckling. "How did Her Majesty know the former Demon Emperor was coming? Could the empress hear his footsteps, or something? Not to mention the fact that Her Majesty knew she was holding a bird just by touching it…"


	7. Stage 03: The False Classmate Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I have never claimed, and will never claim, to owning Code Geass.**

* * *

 **Stage 03: The False Classmate**

\- Part 2 -

* * *

Last time on The Truth Hurts More:

 _ **Suddenly, Nunnally turned her face to stare at the door. Sayoko blinked in confusion and asked, "Lady Nunnally?"**_

 _ **The door slid open and Lelouch walked through the doorway, apologizing, "I'm sorry I'm so late."**_

 _ **"Hi, Lelouch," Nunnally greeted cheerfully. "Welcome home."**_

 _"Holy damn," Gino whistled, chuckling. "How did Her Majesty know the former Demon Emperor was coming? Could the empress hear his footsteps, or something? Not to mention the fact that Her Majesty knew she was holding a bird just by touching it…"_

* * *

Now on The Truth Hurts More:

 **"Yes, welcome home, my lord," Sayoko said.**

 **"No place like it, Sayoko. Right, Nunnally?"**

Milly's composed demeanor shattered completely. "What am I seeing?" she hissed, her eyes darting around rapidly. In a rush, she whirled around to face Rivalz, demanding, "What is this, Rivalz? How could they have lived together all this time? Where's Rolo!?"

Rivalz just shook his head, words stuck in his throat.

"Nina?" Milly begged.

 _I'm sorry, Milly,_ Nina thought, flinching as she kept her eyes focused forward, refusing to glance at Milly, because she _knew_ that if she gave in to the temptation, she'd break and spill everything she knew. _I'm sorry, Rivalz. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my memories taken away from me._

"Nina!" the former president yelled, her voice cracking.

Nina adamantly ignored her.

"Nina... no," Milly gasped, voice flat from her shock. "No," she said again, in denial as she shook her head rapidly. "This—this is impossible! W-What about Rolo?" Her voice was hitched in almost panic, and Kallen spared her a pitiful, sympathetic glance.

Rivalz agreed with a hurried nod. "With all due respect, Your Majesty," he hastened to say, just barely remembering to nod reverently at the empress. "But how? I-I don't understand; I don't remember you being there."

Nunnally's eyebrows furrowed into a knitted frown. She said nothing, but Zero noticed the way her knuckles whitened as her grip on her wheelchair tightened. Zero saw the pain in her eyes and looked away regretfully.

"Milly, Rivalz," Kallen said quietly. She glanced around, saw everyone else's unease, and sighed. "Your memories… they're not what you think of them to be. I told you about Geass, remember?"

"What do you mean, Kallen? How can something so simple as 'a power' do something like _this_?" Milly demanded, eyes wide. "Why aren't you surprised? What's happening?"

"Milly…" the redhead murmured, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry. Rolo was never there. He was never Lelouch's brother in the first place."

"That can't be," Rivalz argued. He laughed, almost hysterically, and Kallen grimaced. "This is hilarious, Milly," he gasped. "Rolo, _not_ Lelouch's brother?" When Milly said nothing, Rivalz frowned and looked around himself. He noticed the tense silence and bit his lip, asking tentatively, "This _is_ a joke, right?"

"…you'll see, Rivalz," Kallen said finally, sighing. What could she do, after all? Geass was permanent. That was the truth she had been taught.

"We should act," Jeremiah said quietly to Sayoko, growling. For just the briefest moment, one of his eyes flashed a shimmering blue, and the shape of a crane taking flight emblazoned itself onto his pupil. The color died and the air darkened. "They should regain their memories."

"I know," Sayoko said, and Jeremiah noticed with a start that her gaze was focused on Milly Ashford. He saw a trace of regret in her eyes and sighed; he remembered that she had served the Ashfords, once upon a time. "But we just talked about this; we cannot—you _know_ that. Lelouch wanted them clueless for a reason. He wanted them happy with the way their lives are, right now, unaware of the truth."

"But they won't be clueless after a while, regardless of whether or not we act," he pressed. "This video—whatever this is—it's showing them everything. No details are spared. Undoubtedly, they will know of the truth soon. Why _shouldn't_ we help them?"

"It's not what he wanted, Jeremiah," Sayoko said warningly. "Until we know more about this, we will keep our silence as he decreed. It is he we are ultimately loyal to, not a group of schoolchildren."

"Even if you used to call one of them master?" he asked softly.

She winced. "Yes," she said eventually, her voice firm and cold. "Lelouch has earned more than our loyalty. We mustn't go against his orders."

"Sayoko..."

" _Jeremiah_!" she hissed. He stopped cold at the fury in her voice and eyes. "Don't you think I _want_ to act? But if you will not, then I have to be the one who remembers what we did everything for. Zero Requiem was for peace. I refuse to let you endanger our lord's plan by acting out of sentimentality. Truth, as we've been shown, only disrupts the balance, which our lord created and which we seek to preserve."

"Our lord's plan never included this show," Jeremiah pointed out. He stared at the face of her wrath and backed down, amending, "Very well. We will remain neutral, for now. But keep in mind, Sayoko—they were His Majesty's friends."

"No one can know of the reality of Geass," Sayoko reminded him. "Not even his friends."

Jeremiah said nothing, his eyes still fixated on the Geassed pair whom he knew Lelouch had trusted, even if only a little bit. And Sayoko knew what he wanted to say, because she was thinking of it too ( _you say that now, but when all is revealed and Geass is no longer a secret only we are privy to, what can you argue?_ ) but he remained silent, and for that she was grateful.

From the start, Lelouch was never meant to be her charge, she mused. It had always been the Ashford family she served, and when they'd assigned her to a pair of Britannian children— _royalty,_ she had thought with disgust at the time—she had never meant to get attached. It was supposed to be an easy task, and she was supposed to hate it.

But Lelouch and Nunnally had never been the representation of royalty she imagined she would hate. They had never been the embodiment of everything that made her resent Britannia. They had only been two children— _siblings—_ who'd lost their mother in a world that never comforted them.

 _I'm sorry, Milly,_ Sayoko thought resolutely. _But I promised him. If nothing else, I swore that I would never betray the path of the Zero Requiem._

When she noticed that he still seemed unconvinced, staring at Milly and Rivalz, she sighed and reasoned, unaware of C.C.'s presence in the auditorium and the part she played in all of this, "Besides, we can call C.C. and ask her about whether or not we should cancel the Geass on them when there's another break. She should know what to do, more than us. She was his queen, after all."

"...Fine," he exhaled. "We'll wait."

"Our memories should belong to us," Anya whispered from beside them, and Sayoko glanced at the pink-haired girl with a start. Sayoko's resolve wavered and her gaze softened. "But they never seem to, do they?"

No response answered her, and at the end it was her own broken laughter that she heard echo in the deep recesses of her mind. _In that sense, there is no force crueler than Geass, even if it is being used for the greater good. Geass took away their memories, and it took away mine. But Geass is also the reason that Emperor Lelouch reached the decision he did, and for that, we, too, have to make our choices._

Lelouch had died for a world that resented him, Anya reminded herself. For that, she chose to respect his sacrifice, even if everyone else would spit upon his name. He had died for a world that called him a monster and celebrated his demise as one would a tyrant's death.

 _She was corrupted by Geass, too,_ Jeremiah reminded himself. _She knows, perhaps even better than Sayoko and I do, what it means to be cursed by its power. And yet she has accepted this—she has accepted Lelouch, who wields Geass more confidently than he wields anything else._

He remembered, too—he remembered why he'd agreed to the twisted plan that was Zero Requiem. And he wasn't proud of it, but there was nothing he could do about it, now that the time had come and gone. All there was left to do was remember.

 _"You must swear, Jeremiah Gottwald."_

 _After he'd revealed his identity and relation to Marianne vi Britannia—his undying admiration for her—Lelouch had learned to accept and trust him. But now, hearing his full name on his lord's tongue—injected with a hint of regality, a hint of authority that none could deny—Jeremiah swallowed doubtfully. He wanted to serve—that was all he wanted. And yet… "How can I?" he whispered._

 _Lelouch glared at him, and Jeremiah's stomach sank. "Zero Requiem will be seen through, regardless of whether or not you wish for it to happen. The only choice you have is whether you would prefer watching it happen from the prisoners' row, or from my side, as my knight."_

 _It was clear that Lelouch was determined. But he'd sworn—he'd_ sworn _—to both mother and son, that he would protect Lelouch vi Britannia._

 _"The world needs this peace, Jeremiah," Lelouch said, and his voice softened slightly, enough to make Jeremiah start. "You know this as well as I do."_

 _"…I do, Your Majesty."_

 _"You do,_ what _?" Lelouch asked insistently._

 _"I know the world does, Your Majesty."_

 _"Then will you remain by my side, as my knight?" Lelouch asked, so quietly Jeremiah wondered if he was a different person altogether. The Lelouch he knew was not uncertain, not afraid—the Lelouch he knew was fearsome, stern, steadfast and confident. It made Jeremiah swallow. "Will you aid me in seeing a new world be brought to light?"_

 _He didn't want to. He wanted Lelouch to live on. He wanted Britannia and all of Lelouch's enemies to see—to see and to_ understand _—that Lelouch was the ruler the world needed. He wanted everyone to realize Lelouch's greatness, as he had. Instead, Lelouch wanted to shoulder the world's hatred and parade around as a tyrant cloaked in the blood of the innocent._

 _"Jeremiah Gottwald," Lelouch prompted._

 _Jeremiah squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to face his lord and stare him in the eye. He hated what it had all come to. But he knew his choice. He knew what he had to do, as Lelouch's knight. No matter what it brought them to, or what the path led them to, he'd promised his loyalty._

 _"I will, Your Majesty," Jeremiah whispered, his voice ragged and hoarse, and his throat felt sore, as though it had betrayed him. He regretted his answer the moment he said it, but he knew there was no going back._

 _Not with Lelouch vi Britannia._

 _"Good," Lelouch said, and he sounded satisfied. Jeremiah would never be satisfied, not with how his_ loyalty _had turned out. "You will serve."_

 _"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, more because Lelouch needed people loyal to him, and more because_ he _needed his own loyalty—he was nothing and no one without the loyalty his entire life was built upon, after all—than anything else. And though it shamed him to see what he was agreeing to, he knew that a life where he abandoned the loyalty he'd relied on all this time would drive him over the edge._

 _"Rise, my knight," Lelouch ordered. "We will show the world a new stage."_

 _"Understood, Your Majesty."_

 _"And our actions will give birth to a new peace."_

 _Jeremiah had to wonder if Lelouch was only saying this because he needed to reassure himself, and not Jeremiah. "They will, Your Majesty."_

 _Lelouch exhaled a breath so broken that Jeremiah despised the world for what it had done to Lelouch. And then he remembered that he was consenting to the new emperor's plan, his Zero Requiem, and he resented himself for it, too._

 _"The world will be destroyed in the process, but all things must come to ruin before they can be rebuilt, anew."_

 _"Yes, Your Majesty."_

He had known from the second Lelouch vi Britannia had told him of his plans, weaving tales of insanity and deceit from a web of carnage, that he would grow to regret it. Still, he had promised to go along with the Zero Requiem, because knew that Lelouch would have gone through with it without him, if nothing else.

Even now, he wished for nothing more than to have been able to convince Lelouch to choose another path. But he hadn't been able to. And it was too late for him to disagree with it, anymore.

He stared at Milly Ashford and Rivalz Cardemonde, imagining their reactions if he deigned to step forward and clear them of Geass's stain. He imagined their guilt. He imagined their grief. He imagined the blue that would envelop them, as it had enveloped so many others before them.

"You will serve," his lord had ordered, in a voice that brooked no argument.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he had vowed.

He'd made his choice a long time ago.

"Let's continue watching, shall we?" Nunnally asked, and though her voice was quiet, no one missed the danger simmering beneath the surface. When they glanced up at her, all they saw was a smile that hid her anger, at the existence of Geass and its hand in erasing her from the memories of her friends, as her nails bit into her palm. _Milly… Rivalz…_

 **"As you know full well," the voice of Bartley Asprius began, "the project was a complete failure." The audience could all see a number of computers lining a table and straitjackets hanging from the wall as the view panned to show the area. "Therefore, this research division is being** ** _gutted._** **" Bartley stood in front of a group of white-coated scientists, who all murmured at his words.**

 **"Yes, but—" one of them protested.**

 **Bartley cut him off, "I've set up a place in Narita for you. Move everything out there. While we may have no memory of it, the fact is the other staff officers and I left Prince Clovis alone. I'm going to be called out on the carpet for this, back at home," he muttered fearfully. "When that happens… if His Majesty learns this experiment's gone on without his knowledge… I—"**

 **"Understood, sir. We'll start prepping immediately," another said.**

Kallen turned pale with horror as she saw the number of 'gas canisters' and files in the division. She saw pictures of C.C. as the witch was experimented on; she saw the witch sitting on a chair with wires strewn all around her, and she turned around nauseously.

 _Bartley…_ C.C. hissed inwardly, recalling the experiments done on her. A picture of her in her past as she fled from a battlefield was displayed on the screen and she smiled joylessly.

 **"Miss Sayoko was just teaching me about the art of origami," Nunnaly recounted. "Fold a piece of paper the right way, and you can make birds, boats, almost anything!" She raised a spoon to her mouth as she talked excitedly to her older brother, who sat near her at their dining table. A trickle of soup dripped down her chin.**

 **"Easy there," her brother said with a fond smile as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the soup away. "You don't have to tell me everything at once, you know. It's not like I'm going anywhere."**

 **"Yeah, you're right," Nunnally said, smiling. "Thank you."**

 **His own smile widened. "You're very welcome," he chuckled.**

"How adorable," Rakshata cooed. "In the end, they were siblings, first and foremost. Before Zero, before the Viceroy of Area 11, they were just brothers and sisters."

Nunnally bit her lip, listening to Rakshata speak. _Your perception is spot-on, Ms. Chawla. We were just siblings,_ she thought. _I wish we could have stayed that way._

Suzaku frowned, acutely aware of the way Nunnally sat up straighter in her wheelchair, tense. _I guess I never thought of it that way. When I found out that you were Zero, Lelouch, that's all I could focus on. I never thought of why you did it, and why it was necessary for you. I just concentrated on your mask._

 **She giggled. "I'm so happy. Because last night, you scared me a little."**

 **His eyes widened. "Did I…?" He looked away, trailing off. "Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, is all."**

 **"Hey," Nunnally prodded, and he turned to look at her. She was holding the same paper crane Sayoko had given to her earlier. "They say, if you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish will come true." She tilted her head. "So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for…"**

 **"No, not really," he laughed. "What about you?" he asked earnestly.**

 **She hummed thoughtfully, considering his question. "I wish the world was a gentler place," she answered.**

 **"When the day finally comes that you can see again, I'm sure that it will be," he vowed.**

 **"Really?"**

 **"I promise."** ** _The truth is, there are very few paths our future can take. The Ashford family's sheltering us, for now, but how long can that last? If our identity is exposed, even Rivalz, Shirley, and the others, will abandon us. We'll end up political tools, or a casualty of royal ambition. I have to build a world where Nunnally can at least find happiness._**

Nunnally turned away, her teeth gritted. _I wanted_ us _to be happy,_ she thought, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she tried to smile and blink back tears. _But it seems that all I was, was a burden to you. You tried so hard… and at the end, I betrayed you._ She scowled. _I never cared about the secret of our identity. If it meant living together with you, no matter the dangers, I would have done anything._

"Political tools," Kaguya murmured to herself. Next to her, shaking, Tianzi jerked and turned to listen. Kaguya shook her head and bit her lip. "That much, I can understand." _You really did just want the best for Nunnally, didn't you? You were so worried for her that you suspected that your own friends would turn against you… You chained Nunnally up in the end, despite your original intentions—but with everything that we've already seen, was that an illusion you crafted, too? Because how else can it be explained? You wanted her happy. You wanted revenge for your mother's death. Why would you betray Zero, your own creation, and claim Britannia?_

"But regardless of that, they were his friends, weren't they?" Tianzi whimpered. "They were his friends..."

Kaguya frowned. _Maybe he had every right to distrust them. I declared myself his wife, and yet I betrayed him, too._ She ran her hand through her hair roughly, her eyes drinking in the solemn glare on Lelouch's face. _So much that we believed in—that we_ hated you _for—was a lie. We saw that you didn't use your Geass on Kallen to twist her loyalty, despite our suspicions. Does that mean that choosing to join you ultimately my decision, too? Did you really... not Geass me, as I believed?_

"Lelouch…" Nina murmured, oblivious to the way some members of the audience turned to stare at her for the familiar way she referred to him as, despite his continued status as the feared Demon Emperor even in death. _Even if it ended up with you killing Princess Euphemia, you started out with the best of intentions. All you wanted was a peaceful world for your sister; one where she would never be judged. It's a goal I admire. And I'm glad I had the chance to work with you, and see you as you were when you dropped your facade as the 'Demon Emperor' outside of the public eye. I may never forgive Zero for killing the daughter of his enemy, but... perhaps I'll be able to forgive you, Lelouch, for killing a sister you loved._

"Was he _that_ afraid about it all?" Rivalz wondered. He frowned, upset. "Even when we were friends, he thought we'd betray him if we found out about the truth."

"I guess he was never satisfied with the way things were," Milly whispered. "I don't remember knowing that he was a prince from the beginning, but if he said my family sheltered him, then I suppose that was taken away from me, too."

"Was he wrong?" Nina asked Rivalz as she pointedly ignored Milly's words and the sting that came with them. "We _did_ abandon him. Even if he became the 'Demon Emperor', we should have tried harder. We were supposed to be his friends, after all."

Rivalz jaw dropped. He wanted to argue, to prove her wrong, but he had nothing to say. "Not at first," he finally whispered. "I... I was confused. I tried to get through to him." _I wanted answers._ _But you're right. We stopped trying. Eventually, we believed the media and saw him as a monster. And that's basically the same thing._

 **He was drawn out of his thoughts when Nunnally gently eased open his open and linked his pinkie finger with hers. "Sayoko taught me the other day," she explained. "It's called a Japanese promise."**

 **She shook their hands as she sang, "Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie. Pinkie promise song!"**

 **He stared at her, puzzled, for a few more seconds before he grinned. "Well, that's scary. I might have to eat a thousand needles, someday!"**

 **"That's right," she said triumphantly. "So I better not catch you telling lies, okay?"**

 **"Don't you worry. I'll never lie, I swear." His gaze darkened.** ** _Not to you, anyway._**

"Huh, I guess there _was_ a point where he was still innocent," Chiba said. "Or as innocent as the _Demon Emperor_ can be, anyway. At the very least, it shows he cared. About one person."

"I remember them as children," Todoh said. "He was always protective of her, even from the start. He doted on her. Loved her more than anything."

"Then how do you explain the fact that he _chained_ her up and threw her in with his other prisoners?" Chiba challenged, crossing her arms defiantly.

But no one, not even her, could deny the truth that they saw, at this point. They all glanced at Empress Nunnally, and found her staring at the screen, wide-eyed and distressed. None of them could blame her.

 _I told him that he was a demon,_ she thought, covering her mouth with her hand in shame and regret. She wiped away her tears. _I told him I hated him. And now I see that he did everything for me... while I turned my back on him, the first chance I got._

 ** _This is the only weapon I have,_** **Lelouch thought as he stared at the Geass in his eyes through his reflection in the rippling water.** ** _And I don't even know how to use it._**

 **"Lelouch!" one of his teachers called out, walking by. "Class will be starting any minute, you know.**

 **"Oh, yes, sir!" He saw the chance pass by him and demanded, his Geass flaring, "Um, sir? What are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"**

 **"The Humiliation of Edinburgh, the transfer of the capital, and north and south war topics," the teacher answered dispassionately, eyes red-rimmed as he paused in front of Lelouch.**

 ** _So… I haven't lost the power, then._**

 **The teacher regained consciousness.**

 **"Sir?" Lelouch asked politely, feeling his Geass come to life again. "What exactly are the topics going to be for the essays on your next exam?"**

 **This time, the teacher tossed Lelouch an irritated glance as he walked on. "Right, very funny," he said sarcastically. "Maybe you should try studying, huh? Just apply yourself; you'll do fine!"**

 **"Yes, sir!" he called out after him.** ** _As I suspected. I can only use it on a person once._**

 _So that's how he figured out the limitation of one use per person,_ Sayoko thought admiringly.

 **Meanwhile, Kallen was in the middle of calling Ohgi. "So, how's campus life treating you?" Ohgi asked.**

 **"Stifling," Kallen answered. "I was stuck in history class, yesterday. Look, maybe I should just head back."**

 **"The army's on a high alert right now," Ohgi replied into the phone. "Stay there. Let things cool off."**

 **"But—what about the voice on the radio?" she argued.**

 **"We can't go looking for a** ** _voice,_** **" Ohgi said. He looked backwards at a picture he had framed, one of three teenagers; two with red hair, and one with black. "Besides, Naoto would be happy to see you back in school."**

"So, that's your brother, Kallen?" Nunnally asked gently. She smiled a little, remembering her own brother. "You two look just like each other," she said, laughing shakily. _I looked nothing like Lelouch. I have nothing to remember him by. Not even the purple of his eyes. And I can't even mourn him without being judged. Maybe this will change that._

Kallen looked back at the empress, nodding shortly. "We did look alike," she reminisced. "He always wanted me to go to school. He said it was a chance most people with Japanese blood would never get again, and that I was lucky to have that opportunity. He was... protective. All the time." She glanced around herself, almost warily, and then her smile twisted and she said, tentatively, "Actually, he's a bit like Lelouch."

Most of the people sitting around her jolted, startled at her mention of the Demon Emperor. Ohgi, who had smiled painfully when she first started talking about her brother, stared at her disappointedly, and Villetta turned away with a snarl, clutching her skirt as she stiffened. Cornelia glowered, and Chiba hissed out something that sounded a little like _you must be blind._

Kallen flinched and bit her lip, but she kept her eyes fixated on Nunnally, as if she'd expected the response. Nunnally, after a moment, nodded jerkily and agreed, "Yes. My brother _was_ always too protective."

Kallen smiled again, more sadly this time, and she turned back around to watch the screen.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Nunnally offered. "He sounds like a great man; I wish I could have met him."

 _I'm sorry for_ your _loss, too,_ Kallen thought, recalling the vision of Nunnally weeping over the bleeding body of her brother, but she didn't dare say it aloud, well aware of her fellow audience members. "He was," she said instead. _Like your brother, he believed in peace. He didn't want to fight a senseless war to revive the old Japan—he, like Lelouch, wanted a new Japan._

 **Kallen harrumphed.**

 **"Forget about Shinjuku, for now," he advised. "I'll be in touch."**

 ** _Shinjuku…_** **she thought.** ** _I guess he's right, but—_**

 **She gasped as an image of the student with purple eyes reappeared in her mind. "Don't tell anyone about Shinjuku," he'd said.** ** _No… it couldn't have been his voice,_** **she denied.**

 **Later on, in class, Kallen watched Lelouch through a mirror in her pencil case as he recited a passage of text aloud, standing.** ** _It… could be… no. I can't remember well enough to be sure._**

 **"Good," the teacher said when he paused. "That will do."**

 **He sat down, and his eyes darted to find her mirror as the teacher began to lecture. She shut the pencil case.**

 **His jaw set.** ** _All I did was simply mention Shinjuku, but…_**

 ** _If he knows who I really am, then…_** **Kallen thought.**

 **He kept his gaze focused on the front.** ** _At the first opportunity…_**

 **Kallen stared at him out of the corner of her eye.** ** _I need to take care of him,_** **she decided, blue eyes steely with resolve.**

"The coincidence is almost creepy," Gino remarked through his snickering. He watched in amusement as their thoughts seemed to coincide with each other.

"Oh, shut up, Gino," Kallen groaned. "You're embarrassing yourself."

"No, seriously," he protested. "It's like you guys were thinking along the same line of thought!" _Like some kind of movie,_ he finished silently, but he knew Kallen would react unkindly if he voiced his thought. Because though it was played like a movie, it _wasn't._ It was their lives—Lelouch's.

 **A group of Sutherlands were escorting a heavily plated, tank-like vehicle down the street. Inside, Bartley sat beside white, marble coffin—Prince Clovis's. "And the research center?" he asked into the radio.**

 **"Transferred tonight, our last night," came the prompt answer.**

 **"All right, then," he answered tiredly, head bowed and resting in his hands. "I pray you forgive me, Your Highness."**

"I always _thought_ it was strange that Bartley, of all people, betrayed Prince Clovis," Villetta murmured to Ohgi. "He was loyal to a fault—always has been. Some of us soldiers thought of him as a fanatic. But it wasn't a concern, because his devotion to the prince was always established. So when word got out that Prince Clovis was shot, left alone in the con by General Bartley and the others—I don't think I ever really believed it. It was too unlike him."

"That's what Geass does," Ohgi scoffed. Even if they had evidence that Lelouch hadn't Geassed their ace, his opinion on it hadn't changed. "It forces you to do things you'd normally never do."

 **Back in Ashford, the bell rung for lunch. A group of girls surrounded Kallen, inviting her out for tea.**

 **Shirley approached Lelouch. "Hey, Lulu," she started cheerily. "You coming along?"**

 **"Sorry, maybe some other time," he said, and before she could say anything else, he walked off, bag in hand.**

 **Kallen was in the middle of a conversation with the other four girls when Lelouch walked up to them. "You think that you could spare a minute?" he asked Kallen. "I need to talk to you."**

 **Shirley's mouth fell open and she gasped, exclaiming in shock, "Huh?"**

 **The girls surrounding Kallen similarly mumbled, but Kallen only pushed herself off her seat and said indifferently, "Sure. I was wondering when you were gonna ask."**

 **Shirley and the other students yelped in shock and squealed louder at her wording.**

Seeing it happen all over again, Kallen winced. _They were entirely too bothersome,_ she snorted. _And Shirley always had the most outrageous suspicions…_ she trailed off, thinking of her dead friend. She'd never understood the circumstance surrounding Shirley's death. _She would have never committed suicide. She's probably one of the people least likely to._

 _Shirley…_ Milly thought, blinking back tears. _You were always so innocent. When you and Lelouch started pretending that you were strangers, I didn't know what to think... and then you died. They said it was suicide, but I can't believe that. I won't. I hope Lelouch knew you loved him, before... before everything._

 **Out in the streets, the Sutherlands were fighting. One of the Knightmares was shot in its face and it crashed to the ground. "I hope you can see how determined we are, now!" Jeremiah shouted at Bartley from the cockpit of his Sutherland. He controlled the Knightmare to rip apart the roof of Bartley's transport.**

 **"What!?" Bartley shouted, shocked. "I've already told you!"**

 **"That you don't remember?" Jeremiah asked angrily. "You still cling to that ridiculous excuse?" His pilot's seat slid out of the Knightmare, and he glared at the general.**

 **Bartley spluttered. "Just ask the others! They'll testify that—"**

 **"Ducking the blame?" Jeremiah sneered. "You're pathetic! You shan't remain at His Royal Highness's side another minute!"**

"Funny how things work out, huh?" Guilford said with a cruel laugh. He directed a smirk at Jeremiah. "You say that to him now, but you chose that very same excuse to fall back on, yourself! But you have nowhere to escape, now. We'll find out what you're hiding from us. We'll _all_ see."

Jeremiah sighed and looked away, rolling his eyes. "Yes," he said offhandedly. "You _will_ find out." _Are you such a fool that you refuse to realize what should be obvious, by now? Not that it matters,_ he reminded himself. _It may have started out because of Geass, but I am with my lord of my own accord, now._

 **"I didn't even know that this room existed," Kallen commented.**

 **"It's the clubhouse for the Student Council," Lelouch explained. "They built it as a ballroom for various special occasions."**

 **"And we won't be disturbed inside here?"**

 **"Yes, that's correct."**

 **Just then, as if in direct contradiction to his reassurance, the familiar voice of Shirley shouted, "Here it is! I found it!" She was holding up a data chip. "Look! This is it, right?"**

 **Nina approached her. "What a relief, you found our lab data."**

 **"Good, my ass is killing me," Rivalz complained.**

 **"Were you able to find it?" Milly asked as she walked, rolling in a tray with a spread of assorted dishes. "I finished up on my end! Should we dig in?"**

 **"Oh, wow!" Rivalz awed, leaning over the railing.**

 **"Way to go, Milly," Shirley cheered.**

 **"You adore me, I know," Milly grinned, setting out the plates.**

 **"Um, what is all of this?" Lelouch asked.**

 **Milly looked at him in surprise. "Lelouch, don't you know? I thought that's why you brought her. We're inducting Kallen into the Student Council." Kallen muttered in confusion. "It was my grandfather's idea, actually."**

 **"The principal's?" Lelouch said.**

 **"He thought it best. With her poor health, she'd have a hard time with regular club activities," Milly explained. "Oh, I'm Milly, the president of the council. A pleasure to meet you."**

 **Despite still looking confused, Kallen bowed. "Oh, thank you. The pleasure's all mine."**

 **The other three ran down the stairs to meet them. "I'm Rivalz, the secretary. If there's anything you need help with, I'm your man!" he introduced, gesturing at himself.**

 **"Hi, I'm Shirley, and I'm a member of the swim club!" she said excitedly. "Welcome!"**

 **"Um, hi there, my name's Nina," the mousy girl said shyly.**

 **"It's… nice to meet all of you."**

 **Nunnally wheeled herself into the room, carrying two boxes and a plate of desserts on her lap. "Shirley, I'm sorry, but do you think you could set this on the table for me?"**

Milly's fist slammed onto the armrest of her seat. "The Geass is this powerful?" she asked, the name feeling foreign and unfamiliar on her tongue. "It can… 'rewrite' our memories to _this_ extent? I remember this happening… but it was never with Nu—the empress."

 _"Shirley, do you think you could lend a hand and help me set this out?" Rolo asked bashfully. He noticed his brother standing amongst the group and smiled pleasantly. "Oh, hi, Lelouch."_

 _"Sure, thanks, Rolo," Shirley said with a laugh._

 _"This is Lelouch's brother," she introduced to Kallen._

Milly gritted her teeth and twisted the velvety fabric of the chair beneath her fingers. _It's so hard to believe that all of my memories are lies,_ she thought. _I_ remember _saying that to her! I remember those words leaving my mouth as if it was yesterday. How could something like Geass be real?_

 **"Oh, sure, thanks, Nana!" Shirley said, running to help her.**

 **"Nunnally," Lelouch exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"**

 **Kallen watched curiously.**

 **"This is Lelouch's sister," Milly said, as if sensing her questions.**

 **"I'm still in the middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet."**

 **"That's all right, you're an honorary member in our book!" Rivalz said, walking toward her.**

 **"Hello, there," Nunnally greeted, nodding in her direction despite her blindness. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen."**

 **"Thank you, you as well," Kallen returned warmly, smiling sincerely.**

 _Back then, it surprised me to see a Britannian who was suffering,_ Kallen remembered. _I never thought that anyone who was full-blooded Britannian could ever feel our pain. But then I saw Nunnally, who was both blinded and paralyzed. It was odd. I thought, how?_

She watched wistfully as the scene played out with Rivalz bringing in a bottle of champagne. She remembered this, too. And though she'd been annoyed when it happened, she broke out laughing when she saw the liquor soaking her. _Happier times,_ she thought, _before we were all separated; before Shirley died, and Milly graduated, and things became so bad and the battle between Britannia and the Black Knights took up more and more of my time. Things used to be so easy._

 **The screen showed the view inside a restroom, panning up to reveal the figure of a woman showering, covered only by a curtain.**

Kallen's expression faltered. Her lips pulled into a furious scowl. "WHAT?" she screamed indignantly, jumping to her feet. "Why is it showing this!?"

"K-Kallen…" Ohgi started.

"Oh, I don't think so," Tamaki muttered, groaning and dropping his head into his hands. Kallen was Naoto's _sister._ He'd known her since the beginning, since before days of war. There was no way he would take advantage of this opportunity.

"Shut up!" she shot out, turning away in embarrassment. "And close your eyes," she added as an afterthought. She sought out Gino and glared at him. She snarled, "That means you, too!"

She screeched when she saw her bare legs, and then her back as the 'camera' moved and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, hell no!" she roared, glaring at Gino and Rivalz until they dutifully obeyed and looked away.

 ** _This is why I hate Britannians…_** **Kallen thought as she showered. She heard a knock on the door and swiveled around, opening the curtain slightly.**

 **"It's Lelouch," came the answer from the other side. "I brought you a change of clothes."**

 **"You can come in," she allowed. "I've drawn the curtain already."**

 **The door opened and he walked in. His eyes widened when he saw her figure, even through the curtain, and he looked away in embarrassment. "Uh… Sorry about this," he said, eyes pointedly averted. "I know they can be a little over the top."**

 _At least he looked away,_ she reasoned to herself, flustered—she hadn't really expected him to _not_ look away, because she remembered him as a gentleman, but she was glad for the reassurance. _I still can't believe it's showing this,_ she complained inwardly.

 **"That's okay," she said. "Nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in a while, you know?"**

 **"These are some of my clothes," he said as he laid them down in the basket. "Hope that's okay."**

 **"It's cool, don't worry about it. That was fast. You went all the way to the boy's dorm?"**

"Of course not," Milly giggled. Despite the insanity and despair swarming in her eyes, she seemed to remember herself and, though she remained sitting, she drew herself up taller and grinned, putting on a composed face. "Even though my memory seems to be failing me most of the time—God, I didn't think this would be happening until _at least_ a decade—I _do_ remember that he was never the athletic type." She waggled her eyebrows and smirked jokingly.

Kallen smiled back at Milly, her chest tightening painfully. _I never thought of your cheer as anything but real, but I guess some of it must be forced. In that sense, you're stronger than anyone I know, Milly. The way you can act fine when you're not, the way you can gather yourself and pretend to be above it all—it's admirable, really._ She pushed away the thoughts and agreed, "Yes, that's true. He left that to Suzaku." She didn't miss the way Zero faltered slightly, his masked head turning subtly toward them as he caught the tail-end of their conversation.

 **"Actually, I live here," Lelouch said. "It'd be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms. The principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor."**

 **"I see."**

 **"Anyway," he said, and her head snapped up and she stared at the curtain, almost alarmed.**

 **"Hey, wait!" she called out. She slipped out a hand through the curtain. "Can you hand me that pouch over there?"**

 **"Sure," he agreed, grabbing the pink pouch and walking to her. He turned his face to the other side so he wouldn't see her and held out the pouch.**

 **Her hand grabbed his wrist, and the pouch fell from his grasp and onto the floor.**

"My, _my_ , Kallen," Milly cooed, and Kallen gaped at her. "Who knew?" _This is probably in relation to the whole Shinjuku thing and your suspicion of him as the "voice", but as me, I cannot simply let this opportunity go by!_

She opened her mouth to protest, but found herself unable to conjure up the words and she closed her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.

 **He hissed and turned to glance at her reflexively, eyes widening. Finally, he smirked. "You really are a live wire, aren't you?"**

 **"Were you the one in Shinjuku?" she demanded, refusing to respond to his jibe.**

 **"What do you mean?" he asked.**

 **"Don't play dumb!" she hissed scornfully, and his eyes narrowed. "You brought up Shinjuku the other day. Why?"**

 **"Why do** ** _you_** **ask?" he countered. "Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?"**

 **"Don't answer my question with another question! 'Yes' or 'no'—that's all I wanna hear out of you." Slowly, she bent down and grabbed her pouch, and she lifted it to his wrist, revealing the blade of a knife.**

"I did _not_ expect that," Gino commented, eyebrows hiked up on his forehead. "This is beginning to look more and more like a ninja show!"

"Sometimes, I have no idea how your mind works, Gino," Kallen said in a quiet voice, laced with venom.

Gino winced. _Maybe not, but who_ doesn't _want to pretend that things are better than they actually are in a situation like this?_

 **The blade glinted. The tension, however, snapped when the phone on the wall began to ring. She gritted her teeth in frustration.**

 **"If I don't answer it, someone will come," Lelouch said, moving slightly so he could reach the phone. "Is that okay?"**

 **He picked it up and returned to his previous position. "Hello? Ashford Academy Student Council," he said into the receiver with practiced ease. He grunted. "No…" The knife neared his wrist. "This is…"**

 **"It's for you," Lelouch explained. He offered the phone to her. "He says he knows you."**

 **She stared at it distrustfully, but she lowered the knife regardless and cautiously reached for the phone. She stared at it warily for a moment before she placed it against her ear and asked, "Hello?"**

 **"Glad you're still alive, Q1."**

"Eh?" Rivalz wondered, unable to stop himself. "A recording, then?" he guessed, eyes still pointed away from the screen. "Seems like something he'd do." _You were always too smart for your own good,_ he thought to himself, smiling wryly. _If only you were smart enough to escape your own execution, huh, Lelouch?_

"Huh," Kallen said, dumbfounded. "Yeah, I guess so." _I never thought of that. I suppose there_ is _a reason you were Lelouch's closest friend, aside from perhaps Suzaku… until he betrayed Lelouch._

 **Her reaction was instantaneous. She gasped and her eyes darted to glance back at Lelouch, enlarging when she saw that he was still there, mouth unmoving.** ** _Was I wrong…?_**

 **"1600 hours, the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Come alone."**

 **Her heartbeat thundered loudly. "Who are you!?" she yelled into the phone, voice raising despite herself. "How did you arrange that ceasefire order?"**

 **There was no answer. She glowered and yanked on the phone in outrage, unaware that she was pulling the curtain as well. "Hey! Don't hang up!"**

"So that's how the 'voice' contacted you," Ohgi said. "When you told us he managed to reach you in school—that he called you through a _school phone,_ even—it sounded impossible. Because how would he have known where to call you on which phone, and when? But since Lelouch was there, I guess it makes more sense. If there is one thing I have to admit to, it is his genius. He may be an evil one, but he _was_ a genius."

"Yes," Kallen answered quietly. "Shirley may argue that he never applies himself, and while that may be true in regards to school, he _did_ apply himself as Zero. He was always smart."

"That's Lelouch," Rivalz said proudly. "Smarter than he ever let on. I saw it whenever he played chess. It was like watching something far beyond me at work. I didn't understand what he was doing, of course, but he always won."

"Not always."

They all startled. Between themselves, they exchanged wary, confused glances before finally, Kallen spoke up, "What do you mean, Your Highness?" None of them had expected Cornelia to join in and add to their conversation.

Cornelia smiled bitterly. "He was never able to beat Schneizel. He could defeat all the rest of us, but not Schneizel. The last game they played, he lost after two hours. It was the first time I saw him scream after a match. Then his mother died, Nunnally was shot, and I never saw him again."

"That's not entirely true, Your Highness," Lloyd sang. He grinned gleefully. "After all, he _did_ win against Schneizel in their very last battle, didn't he?"

"What are you talking about?" Cornelia asked indignantly.

Lloyd smiled mysteriously. "The battle of Damocles."

Her eyes widened and she stood from her seat, reacting on reflex, but by then Nunnally had grown both tired and afraid of their conversation—afraid of what else Lloyd would bring up—and she'd pressed 'play' again.

 **"Did you say 'ceasefire'?" Lelouch asked, breaking her haze of anger. "Sounds like you keep dangerous company."**

 **"Oh… um…" she trailed off, trying to make up an excuse as her voice instinctively returned to its sickly feign. "That was…"**

 **"Let me guess," he interjected. "You're talking about a game? Something online?"**

 **"Oh," she blinked and smiled in relief. "Yeah, you got me. 'Cause, you know, I've been shut up in my house so long…" Her hand released his.**

 **"That's what I was warning you about when I told you not to bring up Shinjuku," he said, rubbing his wrist halfheartedly. "Seriously, some guys will try to share you footage of what happened that day, and it's pretty damn grim. By the way… you know I can see you, right?"**

 **She sputtered in realization, glancing between them and at the curtain that no longer separated them. She shrieked and ducked, covering herself.**

Milly choked with obnoxious laughter. "Is this the beginning of your love story?" she teased, but a part of her mind strayed from the conversation at hand and returned to the earnest, trusting eyes of her old friend. _Shirley..._

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kallen denied, knuckles digging into her thighs as she kept her expression as neutral as she could, despite the pink of her cheeks.

 **"I won't tell anyone," he reassured as he walked out. "See you later."**

 **"I was wrong," she whispered to herself.**

* * *

 **"Glad to see you're alive, Q1." Sayoko played back the recording, her eyes rimmed with the familiar red of Geass. She blinked and looked around herself in confusion when it faded from her eyes.**

"So that's what he ordered me to do," she mused, nodding to herself. She had always been right to choose Lelouch. From day one, when he'd glared at her and held Nunnally's hand tightly—protectively—she'd known. "I gave my loyalty to him willingly, too," she said, more for the satisfaction of saying it aloud to those like Ohgi and Villetta and Chiba than for anything else.

Jeremiah gripped her arm tightly, and together they watched as Lelouch and Kallen walked through the hallways, conversing normally as high school students would. "He should have gotten more time as a student," he remarked.

"And to think students hate schools," Sayoko teased.

Some of the others, such as Cornelia and Chiba, balked at hearing mention of some of Milly's more outrageous parties, but Sayoko didn't even bat an eye, more than used to it. Lloyd, listening to Lelouch list off the names, smiled at her. "'Crossdressers' Ball'? How brilliant!" he commented cheerfully. "Your creative mind would have made for a great wife," he said playfully, and Milly rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey!" Rivalz snarked. "Watch it!" He glared at Lloyd.

Milly squirmed in her seat and nudged Rivalz sharply, hissing at him to be quiet.

 **"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally exclaimed when they returned.**

 **"Prince Clovis has been found dead," Milly said.**

 **"They're saying he was killed!" Rivalz explained.**

 **Both Lelouch's and Kallen's eyes widened, but for different reasons. They watched TV screen warily and listened as Jeremiah rambled on, reciting his speech for the dead prince.**

Jeremiah, listening to himself, snorted. "'He fought for peace and justice,'" he repeated the words of himself onscreen and laughed in disbelief. "I said, to the world, that 'he died a martyr'! God, I used to believe that."

"Well, we both know who _did_ actually fight for peace and justice, and who _did_ die a martyr—though he was an unsung martyr," Sayoko said beside him.

He nodded. "The original 'Knight of Justice' himself," he said with a small smile. "The man whose name was traded around as if it was a crime to say it."

Sayoko shook her head and sighed.

 **"We interrupt this program with breaking news! The man suspected as the murderer has been captured!"**

 **The members of the Student Council, including Nunnally and the newly inducted Kallen, all reacted to this with shock.**

 **"According to this report," the newscaster continued, "the suspect is an Honorary Britannian."**

 **A recording was pulled up, showing a man with curly, brown hair and emerald eyes dressed in a straitjacket.**

 **Lelouch faltered. "What the?"**

 **"Private Suzaku Kururugi. A former Eleven and Honorary Britannian."**

 **Lelouch stared on in wide-eyed horror as he watched his childhood friend dragged by a pair of helmeted soldiers.**

"The look on his face," Cornelia said softly as the screen blacked out. "He was angry. I recognize that look. It's real. He never intended for that to happen… this is proof that he felt—or he used to, anyway."

Suzaku turned away uncomfortably. _Is Cornelia right, Lelouch? Did you really care, even though you told me that you rescued me only to make your debut as Zero?_ But, even to him, it was undeniable. The expression on Lelouch's face wasn't just anger—it was fear.

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for OOC-ness and everything (and also, I have no idea what I was thinking about writing Jeremiah's flashback scene at the beginning of Part 2, but since there isn't actually a scene showing that... and, well, it's always interested me so) but, anyway, hope you guys enjoy. Feel free to review or PM me if you have any questions or comments or anything.**


	8. Stage 04: His Name is Zero

**Disclaimer: I have never owned Code Geass.**

* * *

 **Stage 04: His Name is Zero**

* * *

Their silence lasted long after the colors had faded and the music had died as they mulled over the revelation that Lelouch had twisted neither Kallen nor Sayoko to his will.

Finally, Zero took one step forward, leaning to whisper into Nunnally's ear, "Your Majesty. If you please."

"Right," she murmured.

 **"Lelouch, a youth of Britannia had been granted special abilities by a mysterious girl: Geass, the power to command others to do absolutely anything. And Lelouch is determined to use that power to bring the Britannian empire to its knees, to avenge his mother, and create a world where his younger sister Nunnally can find happiness, all the while knowing, at the end of his quest, the Britannian emperor, his father, awaits. Or at least, that was the hope Lelouch carried in his heart, back then."**

Nunnally flinched as the screen flashed through several different scenes while the narration continued on. She saw another image of herself as she quivered beneath her mother and swallowed thickly, drawn yet again to the blood and the bullet holes riddling Marianne's body.

She closed her eyes willingly. Over the years, she'd come to hate the darkness, but now, over the scene in front of them all, she eagerly embraced it. She didn't need to see it. She could remember it clearly. She remembered hearing only the stampede of her own heartbeat as she trembled in the macabre embrace of her mother's arms; if only for a moment, she had entered the queue to shake hands with Death, letting it wrap its bony, ruthless fingers over her own, tiny ones. Fingers that knew power beyond measure; that had felt the thickness of blood slip past, trickling through cracks in bone and skin, and craved for more lives to devour. Fingers that had grabbed her brother, digging into the wound left by Zero's blade, and dragged him away.

Jeremiah, too, looked away, his face contorting as he remembered his failure. _Lady Marianne..._

Similarly, other members of the audience had to avert their eyes—some in shame, some in sadness, some in horror. Kallen recalled her biased hatred of _all_ Britannians alike and glanced at Nunnally guiltily, knowing that she was wrong. Not all Britannians were the same. Nunnally, born as a daughter of the royal family, was proof of that. She, too, had suffered despite her lineage.

Zero, on the other hand, found himself captivated by Marianne's open eyes. He couldn't see her Geass, but he remembered what had occurred in the World of C, and he _knew_ that it was being used. His jaw shifted in anger. He hated Geass, more than anything else. It was such a despicable power, capable of ruining so many lives.

* * *

 **Stage 04:**

 **His Name Is Zero**

* * *

 **"Do you know anything about this weapon, Suzaku Kururugi?" Jeremiah Gottwald sneered at the prisoner, bound to the chair across his. "It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life. The barrel striations leave no doubt. And we've done a little homework on you, as well. You were the eldest child of Japan's last acting Prime Minister, are you not? Your motive here is clear."**

 **"You're making a mistake! I have never even laid eyes on that gun," Suzaku protested.**

Kallen barked with laughter. "Funny, considering all soldiers have the exact same gun," she snapped with a layer of mockery. She watched Zero carefully, suppressing a satisfied smirk when he jerked in place, as if struck by lightning. She scoffed. "Although, about that last part... I wonder what Suzaku's motives really were," she commented.

Zero stiffened. She huffed and rolled her eyes, not expecting a response.

"He wanted peace," Cecile said, much to Kallen's surprise. Kallen glanced at the blue-haired scientist warily. "Isn't it obvious? He wanted to change the system from within."

"From within?" Todoh echoed distastefully. "A foolish goal."

Cecile glared at him. "It was honorable," she defended.

He raised his eyebrows. "And was he just going to turn a blind eye to those suffering while he went about trying to accomplish this 'honorable' goal?" he demanded. "As just another faceless Honorary Britannian, Suzaku would have sooner died than achieved the change he wanted to inflict."

"And yet he became a Knight of the Rounds," Cecile said. "He was well on his way to succeeding."

"But by then, all the 'honor' you claim he had was gone," Todoh sneered. "He was a traitor. To his people and to himself."

"How dare you?" Cecile snarled, eyeing him with outrage and no small amount of frustration. "I thought we finished discussing this! You know nothing about his plans, his thoughts. Suzaku was a hero!"

"You are the one who knows nothing," Todoh countered coldly. His eyes narrowed. "How was he a hero? He did nothing while his fellow Japanese were slaughtered in the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan! He stood by and obeyed Japan's conquerors. He even _joined_ them in oppressing us. He became a Knight of the Rounds and murdered countless civilians in the name of 'justice'. If he is the kind of man you call a hero, then you are delusional."

Cecile's teeth gritted in anger as she seethed inwardly. "He did what he had to do," she insisted. Her expression sobered. _We all did what we had to do,_ she recalled. _Even His Majesty, Lelouch. No,_ especially _His Majesty._ She shook her head to clear the thought and bring herself back to the present. "I won't let you slander Suzaku's name," she said firmly.

"That's enough." Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Todoh, or Chiba, or any of the other Black Knights who spoke up. Cecile stared up at Zero in wide-eyed shock.

"But—"

"We are allies here. Fighting each other will do nothing but ruin the peace we've established since Emperor Lelouch's death," Zero continued, ignoring the part of him that wanted to stand back and let Cecile defend him. No, she'd done enough to protect his legacy, even though he didn't deserve it.

"Zero is correct. We can't afford to lose our heads, now of all times," Empress Nunnally added. She smiled warmly at them all, pressing forward despite the quiver in her voice, detectable to those who paid close attention. She resumed the video, cutting off any further protests.

Cecile sighed and looked away, every muscle in her body tense. Lloyd, sensing her unease, murmured reassuringly into her ear, "Suzaku will be fine."

Cecile snorted mirthlessly, almost surprised that Lloyd cared enough to try to comfort her, in his own way. But then again, Lloyd had always been more than he pretended to be. "Right," she agreed. "The truth will come to light soon enough. If nothing else, they will have to listen to reason when the end plays out on these videos."

 **One of the other men kicked Suzaku, and he collapsed to the floor. "We've found your fingerprints all over this weapon," Jeremiah continued. "You're also suspected of murdering members of the Royal Guard. Come clean now, and you'll be judged as though you were born a Britannian, not some worthless Eleven!"**

"Is this how you treated all your prisoners?" Xingke asked scornfully, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Jeremiah.

Jeremiah laughed wryly, not bothering to defend himself as he kept his eyes on the screen, choosing to ignore Xingke in favor of staring contemptuously at himself.

"Well, at the time, he _was_ suspected to be Prince Clovis' killer," Gino reasoned quietly. "That's not a crime that can just be ignored."

"He wasn't even convicted of the murder yet!" Milly protested, staring at the brutality in horror. "You didn't know if he was actually responsible—which, _he wasn't._ "

"And what a lie," Xingke remarked. "Judged as a Britannian? This, coming from the former leader of the Purist faction?" He rolled his eyes at the incredulity of the statement.

Jeremiah's lips twitched slightly. _Indeed, how perceptive of you, Li Xingke. Then again, I expected nothing less from a man of your caliber._

 **"You're wrong! I've done nothing!" he yelled, only to be kicked in the face.**

"Suzaku..." Rivalz muttered, flinching as if he'd been hit himself.

 **The scene changed to portray a room inside Ashford, in which Lelouch was wheeling his younger sister towards the bed. "That was Suzaku they mentioned on the news, wasn't it?" Nunnally asked quietly as Lelouch carried her out of her wheelchair and laid her down on her bed.**

 **"Yep," Lelouch answered with a sigh. "It looks like he's still alive."**

 **"Yeah, it's been ages. We haven't seen him since the war ended." He helped her pull the covers up to her chin. "And Lelouch? It wasn't true what the news said, was it?"**

 **"Of course not," he assured. "Suzaku would never do anything like that. They've just made a mistake."**

 **"Yeah... must be," she said sleepily, holding his hand. Her eyes closed.**

 **"Right," he muttered. "Goodnight, Nunnally."**

* * *

 **"That's why we should have issued a freaking statement sooner!" Tamaki yelled, pacing angrily. "We could've taken credit for it!" He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.**

 **Ohgi sighed, staring at the picture of Kallen, himself, and his old friend. "Naoto... I'm not cut out for this. I'm no leader."**

"There's no doubt about _that_ much," Jeremiah muttered distastefully. He scoffed, gaze darkening as he remembered the way the core members of the Black Knight had betrayed Lelouch without even giving him the chance to explain himself. He remembered that they'd passed Zero off as 'dead' and dismissed him when he'd asked to confirm it for himself. _No, you're no leader. You're nothing compared to Lelouch as Zero—he has you beat at charisma, confidence, eloquence, wits, tactics, everything. You could never hope to outplay him, Kaname Ohgi._

Sayoko nodded in agreement. "I have to wonder why he was chosen to step up as leader in the first place," she remarked with audible disdain. "He led the Black Knights to betraying the one man that could have helped them in liberating Japan. And when they chose to give him command, he led them to defeat. He is the kind of man who will do whatever's necessary to save his own skin before even trying to save the lives of his comrades. A coward, at best. Indeed, he's twelve kinds of a fool."

Jeremiah chuckled. "He will get what is due him," he reassured her. "No one will escape unpunished for the wrongs they've done to His Majesty."

 **"Yes, everything is just as you requested. We have the best in the business working on it. Once the slide system is in order, it's all yours," a bespectacled man said servilely, standing across Lelouch, his head bowed to the sight of Lelouch's Geass.**

 **"Once I've erased all of the evidence, I should forget this ever happened, right?"**

"Slide system..." Kallen murmured, eyes glazing over as she succumbed to her thoughts. She blinked in realization and said aloud, "I guess this must be where Lelouch got his Zero costume from."

"Wait, what?" Rivalz yelped in shock. He twisted around to pin Kallen with his wide eyes. "Lelouch is... Zero?" he stammered.

Kallen arched an eyebrow. "You didn't realize that yet?"

"What, so it's true?" Gino inquired, confused. His mind wandered back to Lelouch Lamperouge at Ashford Academy, and then to Lelouch vi Britannia, the Demon Emperor. He frowned. So he wore Zero's mask, too, at one stage?

Kallen sighed in exasperation. "Yes, it is. He was the original Zero. The first," she added sharply, a flicker of pride stirring in her chest briefly. "I thought you'd have realized that when you saw Lelouch kill Prince Clovis."

"Well, I did wonder about that, but..." Rivalz shrugged helplessly. A sudden thought struck him and his mouth fell open. "Wait—but—what about, you know... _that_ Zero?" he asked, gesturing wildly at the masked man, sitting tense and alert beside Empress Nunnally. "How can Lelouch be Zero when, well, Zero _killed_ Lelouch?"

"Rivalz," Kallen stressed his name, rolling her eyes. "I did say Lelouch was the _original,_ didn't I? Obviously, he wasn't the Zero who killed him. That's impossible."

"Huh," Rivalz mumbled blankly as he considered it. He snorted after a while, a little bitterly. "Lelouch was killed by his own creation, then. That's... that's really sad."

Kallen nodded distantly in agreement. No one else in the audience seemed to agree, however, because Cornelia stood from her seat out of reflex and snarled loudly, "You think it's _sad_? He was the Demon Emperor! He deserved that and _more_."

Kallen's eyes narrowed. "Your Highness," she started, the respect in it polluted so that it sounded more like a derogatory term. "He—"

"For that matter, I don't understand why you keep on referring to him by his name. As the Demon Emperor, I believe he's long since forsaken the right to be called by something as familiar as a _name_ ," Cornelia interrupted, ignoring Kallen altogether as her glare hardened.

"Sister," Nunnally said, quiet and controlled enough to sound harmless, but no one could miss the underlying warning in her voice. "Demon Emperor or not, he was my brother," she said sharply, before falling quiet as abruptly as she'd spoken up. She inhaled and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. There was no point in antagonizing her sister.

Cornelia's lips curled into a disapproving scowl, but even she stepped down and kept her silence in the face of the empress' reprimand. "Nunnally," she muttered under her breath. "I don't know why you insist on this farce, but to go as far as to acknowledge him as family..." Her scowl deepened, and when the memories surfaced, unexpected and unwelcome, she pushed them back into their vault, refusing to let herself remember.

Kallen, on the other hand, sighed in relief, knowing that she herself wouldn't have been able to just stand by and do nothing as Cornelia insulted Lelouch.

"Kallen," Milly whispered to her. Kallen eyed Milly through her peripheral vision. Milly bit her lip unsurely and asked, "Why did Lelouch become Zero? I—I mean, he was a prince, right? What does he get out of killing his... _brother_ and rebelling against his homeland?"

"He... as I recall, he and his sister were exiled to Japan after the death of their mother," Kallen explained quietly. "And then Britannia invaded, even despite the fact that they were still in Japan. Lelouch saw it as abandonment. At first, I guess he just wanted revenge."

"His sister?" Rivalz thought aloud, leaning in out of curiosity. "Oh, right, Her Majesty."

Kallen nodded slowly. "When no one ever came to retrieve them, and they were forced to fend for themselves... He thought of it as Emperor Charles discarding him like a used pawn."

"Oh," Milly said, flinching. "I... I never knew."

Kallen looked away, her jaw shifting angrily. "You used to, Milly," she said with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, before Geass and everything, I think you knew about that part more than I do. Your family took him in, after all."

Milly exhaled loudly, her frustration audible. "I don't _remember_ if I know or not," she huffed. The corner of her eyes creased and her mask dropped. "I hate not knowing what to trust," she whispered. "I can't even count on myself."

Kallen stared at her in shock, having never seen the formidable former Student Council president look so close to tears before. Milly had always been on top of everything; if she wasn't, she'd pretend she was.

"It sucks," Rivalz agreed, a similar frown on his face. "It's worse than anything."

Nina bit her lip and cringed, unable to help herself. Like Kallen, she had never seen Milly submit to her vulnerabilities before. It reminded her of their confrontation, when she'd accused Milly of frivolity and Milly ended up becoming a news reporter.

Rivalz, too, often liked to pretend that nothing could go wrong in the world. He was always unfailingly cheerful, and though she used to find it annoying, now she just wished he could smile like he used to, like he had nothing to burden him. The stark contrast between his behavior from before the Demon Emperor and his behavior after Lelouch's acension only served to highlight the effect Lelouch had on Rivalz—on them all.

 **"Truly this has been a painful incident for all. The Viceroy of Area 11, our beloved Prince Clovis, has been lost to us forever. However, we can and will bear the weight of this tragedy, and from this darkest of hours, draw strength."**

 **The screen flashed to show Lelouch in the audience, who glanced away to look out the window at the speech.**

* * *

 **"We've lost the most crucial part of the equation," Lloyd Asplund said in disappointment, staring up at his Lancelot.**

 **"Can we do it without him?" his assistant, Cecile, asked.**

"You're referring to the pilot as a 'part' _again_ , Lloyd?" Rakshata asked, shaking her head.

"At least I added _the most crucial,_ " Lloyd huffed. He smirked a little. " _You're_ just jealous that my brilliant Lancelot had an equally magnificent devicer to pilot it!"

"I am not!" Rakshata denied, fuming. "My Guren is greater than your Lancelot," she sneered. "And _clearly_ my child's pilot had skills far above your own!"

"You fool no one but yourself," Lloyd snapped derisively.

"Must I remind you, _yet again,_ that my Guren bested your Lancelot in combat in Kouzuki and Kururugi's final battle," Rakshata jeered victoriously. "It is a triumph you cannot claim!"

"How pitiful," Lloyd sneered. "You live vicariously through your pilot, while my pride lies ultimately with my machine! Of course, you'd have to submit defeat in those terms, so I can understand why you must stick to Kouzuki's abilities," he added snidely.

Rakshata's eyes twitched dangerously, dropping her pipe onto her lap and whirling around to shoot Lloyd a venomous glare. Cecile winced in his stead. If looks could kill, he'd already be six feet under. "Your lies disgust me," she snarled. "You must be blind _and_ senile if you truly believe that your Lancelot holds a candle to _my_ Guren!"

"It's completely the opposite," Lloyd scoffed. He leaned in closer to Cecile and commented, exaggeratedly loudly so Rakshata could hear, "I think our dear friend here is suffering under delusions, Cecile. Perhaps we should escort her out so a doctor can examine the state of her mentality."

Cecile blinked, her jaw dropping in astonishment. "Lloyd!" she shrieked, flushing instantly. She glanced warily at Rakshata, who wore a poisonous scowl, before she swept her gaze across the others in the audience, noting the irritation and exasperation on various members. She grimaced. "That's enough," she berated. "There's no need to keep fighting over who's better. And stop dragging Suzaku and Kallen into this!"

Lloyd sighed, frowning petulantly. "What a way to kill our fun, Cecile," he whined. But considering Rakshata's unwavering anger, she doubted 'fun' was the word Rakshata would use to describe their arguments.

Cecile glared at him, and he wisely snapped his mouth shut. Mortified by their antics, Cecile looked up at the empress and apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry for the disruption, Your Majesty. Please excuse my colleagues' behaviors."

The empress, much to her surprise, only laughed in amusement. "You have no need to worry, Miss Cecile," Nunnally reassured kindly, a small smile still visible on her face.

Cecile sighed in relief and, turning back around, elbowed Lloyd pointedly. "Stop interrupting the show, Lloyd," she hissed.

"Show?" he echoed with a sly look on his face.

She blushed. "You know what I mean," she said, flustered. "It's presented as a show, anyway."

He hummed noncommittally, finally giving up his ongoing debate with Rakshata, or at least for the moment. "And I suppose the so-called Demon Emperor's demise would be the grand finale, then?"

Her gaze soured immediately. "Don't make light of their sacrifice," she shot out furiously.

"'Their' sacrifice?"

"Yes," she said sternly. "In different ways, they both had to give up their lives."

"I suppose you're right," he said in his usual nonchalant way, making Cecile look away and grind her teeth together indignantly. "Although, if you were to have said that to anyone else, I imagine there'd be _quite_ a ruckus."

She sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. "So let's just be quiet and return to watching," she said finally, her voice firm. He nodded and silently raised his eyes up to look at the screen.

 **Lloyd sighed. "Don't I wish," he remarked. "The other units never let go of a good pilot. And even if we got one, they'd never match his readings. His operational efficiency clocked in at 94%, and you want to** ** _replace_** **him?"**

 **"You should tell them that; perhaps they'll let Suzaku go," she suggested.**

 **"He's an Honorary Britannian," Lloyd said. "They'd never listen. Ever since General Bartley's disgrace, the Purebloods have got the military in an iron grip."**

* * *

 **In Ashford, Shirley was talking to Lelouch. "The Purebloods, what?" she asked in surprise.**

 **"Well, from what I understand, they're saying that only pureblood Britannians should serve in the military," Lelouch explained scornfully.**

 **"Their view is: one of their own can never be a criminal," Lloyd said with disdain, his eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. "But if the criminal is an Eleven, then it paves the way for Margrave Jeremiah to shut down the practice of granting natives honorary status."**

 **"And what about Suzaku?" Cecile asked in concern.**

 **"His fate's all but decided."**

"So that was why an Honorary Britannian was chosen as the suspect," Nina said, sick with realization. She glanced down at her hands; smooth but dirtied by innocent blood. "It would be the perfect excuse to get rid of the Honorary Britannian system."

Milly nodded slowly. "I guess so," she said. "And considering Suzaku's lineage, it would make their excuse more solid. As the son of the last Prime Minister, he'd naturally be a representative for the Japanese."

"I'm surprised you understood that, Lloyd," Cornelia remarked cuttingly. "And you were serious, for once."

Lloyd huffed. "Of course." He paused, and when Cecile shot him a warning glare, he rolled his eyes and tacked on, "Your Highness." He sighed. "It was obvious, especially when you think about Margrave Jeremiah's status as the leader of the Purebloods, at the time."

"Don't you have any shame?" Kallen demanded, staring disapprovingly at Jeremiah. She had never understood him. As a member of the Purebloods—the head, even—he'd constantly raved about Britannia's superiority, and consequently, the Numbers' inferiority. And then he'd completely turned against his former ideals to become a member of the Black Knights, answering directly to Zero.

"Back then, it was a move that served my former allegiance best," Jeremiah explained nonchalantly. Sayoko shifted to grasp his shoulder in an act of support. He smiled bitterly. "Nothing I say or do now will change the fact that I chose to move against Kururugi."

"You wanted to doom all the Honorary Britannians," Ohgi accused. He hadn't necessarily approved of the system, because it essentially asked you to forsake your nationality and your pride as a Japanese, but he would never wish harm upon those who'd chosen to take advantage of the option.

Jeremiah laughed loudly. "Weren't you the one who said 'the past is the past'?" he mocked. Ohgi's eyes widened and he looked away, flustered by Jeremiah's use of his own words against him. "All that matters is that I've changed, _right_?"

Ohgi gritted his teeth and looked away, refusing to answer.

Jeremiah scoffed. "I didn't think so," he snarled. "And besides, wouldn't you like to say the same to your wife? She, too, was involved in the ploy. She _wholeheartedly_ _agreed_ to arresting an Honorary Britannian!"

Ohgi recoiled visibly, and Jeremiah nodded in satisfaction at the stumped look on his face.

"He's right," Cornelia agreed, leering at Ohgi. "If you want to blame Gottwald for what he did to Kururugi, then you'd be a hypocrite to ignore the part your own wife played in it, too."

"I—well—" he stammered, cursing under his breath and sinking into his seat as he fell silent, desperately trying to escape their gazes.

"Jeremiah," Villetta started, frowning. She shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand why you act like you're still loyal to that demon. And 'former allegiance'? I get that you resigned, but—"

"Don't start with me," he snapped furiously. "And don't you dare call His Majesty a demon, as though you are any better! You, of all people, have no right to condemn him!"

Her eyes widened in honest shock. "You... you really still believe that he's faultless?" she spluttered. "But... why? Don't tell me you're under his Geass."

At her accusation, his face contorted into an ugly glare. "I won't stand for your ridiculous lies!" he thundered, voice crazed and outraged. "I am loyal to him of my own volition!" _His Geass touched me only once, and then I gained the Canceller required to become immune to all forms of Geass. You insult both His Majesty and I with this blasphemy,_ he added silently.

"Why!?" Villetta demanded.

Chiba nodded in agreement. "He doesn't deserve anyone's _loyalty_ ," she sneered. "He used his Geass without reservation! I wouldn't be surprised if you _are_ actually under his control. It's not like you'd know, after all."

"Indeed," Cornelia said. "After all, why would you voluntarily swear yourself to him? He had too many sins to count. He lied to everyone—even his own siblings."

"I won't let you tarnish his memory," Jeremiah hissed. "He lied to you because he couldn't trust you. And how can _anyone_? You criticize him for killing those he did and yet you, too, are famous for your title as Goddess of Victory to Britannia, and the Witch of Britannia to your enemies. Your first act against terrorism as former Viceroy of then-Area 11 was to create a massacre in the Saitama Ghetto for nothing but the _chance_ that Zero would appear!"

"He's not wrong," Todoh said gravely. His eyes narrowed and he added sharply, "But that doesn't make your situation any better, Gottwald. The Demon Emperor was called as such for a reason."

"At least I wouldn't kill my own siblings," Cornelia added poisonously.

"You would have killed _him_ ," Jeremiah pointed out. He hated them all. He hated Cornelia for refusing to understand—hadn't she served as the Captain of Lady Marianne's Royal Guard? How could she parade around as one of Marianne's staunchest supporters while continuously denying her son? "Or are you denying your relation to him?" he added bitterly.

Cornelia thought of Lelouch, a _brother,_ and how he'd mercilessly killed his own sister. Their sister. _Euphemia_. She thought of the Demon Emperor, and how he'd chained his siblings to his float as he proudly delivered them to their execution. Among them, a sister he claimed to love, Nunnally. Her jaw set in anger. "He forsook the right to call himself my brother the moment he turned against his own family!" All she knew was that she'd never sink to his lows.

 _No, Cornelia, you are the one who made the conscious choice to abandon your own brother. You are the one who turned against him, who betrayed him the moment you refused to see past his mistakes._ Jeremiah's gaze steeled. He stood and met her own stare defiantly, unfalteringly. "Are you forgetting that you abandoned him _first_? Are you _forgetting_ that you never even questioned his exile? You left him to die, alone and unwanted. You stopped being his sister in that instant, _Your Highness_. If you want a reason for his wrath, his _vengeance_ , then look no further than yourself!"

Cornelia fell silent instantly. She turned around, eyes creased with guilt, and stepped down. Guilford was about to march up to Jeremiah and give him a piece of his mind for raising his voice at Cornelia, when she shook her head mutely and raised a hand to stop him. He growled, but obeyed reluctantly.

"Jeremiah..." Sayoko murmured quietly.

He looked at her, still burning with anger, and sat down abruptly. "Their hypocrisy is infuriating," he seethed. "She said she wanted reality. But look at her; she's completely in denial. No, Sayoko, she doesn't want the truth. She wants _her_ truth."

"That's what they all want," she said somberly. "None of them want to be corrected, to have to admit that they are wrong. They just want to be lied to, so they can close their eyes when the night turns against them, so they can pretend that Master Lelouch deserved his fate, so they can justify their hatred to themselves."

"Well, they'll be in for a big surprise," Anya said. Jeremiah was surprised to see that she was smiling. "They can't change what's true. These disks contain that truth they're so afraid of. They _will_ have to face the facts."

He laughed and nodded. She was right. She had to be right. Even if it wasn't what Lelouch had wanted, or what he'd intended for those they watched with, Jeremiah wished they'd be able to see it to the end. He was desperate for recognition—for the moment they realized that they had betrayed Lelouch for nothing.

 **"Hey, Lelouch, you got anything going on later?" Rivalz asked cheerily. "After all, classes have been canceled for the day. Folks have been asking for a rematch!"**

 **"You are not gambling, you guys!" Shirley protested indignantly.**

 **"Come on," Rivalz said with a laugh, "don't be such a stick in the mud!"**

 **"She's right, though," Lelouch interjected. "Maybe it's time to quit."**

 **Rivalz recoiled and snapped his gaze to meet Lelouch's. "Huh?" he mumbled in audible shock.**

 **Lelouch smiled slightly. "I've found a better opponent, actually," he explained.**

 **Shirley blinked, her mouth falling open. "You did?" Her brows furrowed. "I don't get it."**

 **"You're cutting me in on the action too, right?" Rivalz demanded.**

 **The screen switched perspective to focus on another student, clad in the telltale canary yellow uniform of the female student body attending Ashford Academy.**

 **"Better not," Lelouch's voice responded, distant. "It's not really up your alley."**

 **Kallen walked past them, eyes lidded in a sickly feign.**

Rivalz snorted. "By 'a better opponent', he means Britannia, doesn't he?" he mused in realization. "The new game he was talking about—being Zero?"

Nina laughed bitterly, much to the surprise of those who knew her shyness. "He didn't want you to get involved," she murmured, dissecting his words. "'It's not really up your alley,'" she quoted.

"Was he trying to keep me safe?" Rivalz asked, rearing backwards in surprise. "Out of danger?"

"Is it that unexpected?" Milly retorted. "He was still our friend. He—he wouldn't have thrown us away into the line of fire."

"How do you know?" Rivalz demanded. "Our memories aren't even ours! How do you know what he would and wouldn't have done?"

Milly flinched and dropped her gaze, avoiding his stare and the truth. "How can _all_ of our memories be faked? Surely— _surely_ —something is real."

"Milly—"

She shook her head and looked away stubbornly, refusing to continue pursuing the subject of their conversation. She hated discussing their memories, and what had happened to them. She didn't want to dwell on the possibilities for any longer than she had to—mainly, the possibility that _Lelouch_ had done this to them, had twisted their minds. "Stop it, Rivalz," she said.

He did, more because he could hear her exhaustion and her anguish than because he wanted to. But maybe he did want to, too. Maybe he, too, would rather exist in the delusions of their warped world and believe that Lelouch, the Demon Emperor or not, had been their friend.

 **"Britannia's resounding victory over Japan opened the unenlightened nation's eyes to its true place in today's world order. Since then, the empire and Area 11 have walked hand-in-hand down the road to revival."**

 **The digital clock displayed inside Tokyo Tower read 16:01. Kallen, standing by the numerous paintings of the invasion that lined the wall, narrowed her eyes.** ** _1600 hours at Tokyo Tower,_** **Kallen thought to herself.** ** _Why_** **here** ** _of all places?_**

 **"It was Kururugi who contacted us, wasn't it?" one of Kallen's comrades, Sugiyama, asked, his voice low and quiet.**

 **"Hard to say," Ohgi answered.**

 **"Yeah, but he must have gotten arrested** ** _after_** **he communicated with Kallen," Yoshida pointed out, suspicious.**

 **"Then we're in danger here," Sugiyama concluded. "We should go."**

 **A bell sounded over the intercom, followed by a female voice intoning,** ** _"Attention, please. Paging Miss Kallen Stadtfeld of Ashford Academy."_** **The three's eyes widened collectively.** ** _"One of your personal effects has been turned in at the kiosk at the observation deck. I repeat—"_**

 **"Hi, I'm assuming this phone is yours, ma'am," the woman behind the desk said politely, handing over a phone.**

 **Kallen took it wordlessly, standing there for a moment as she scrutinized the device, hesitating.**

 **"Um, something wrong?" the woman asked. "It** ** _is_** **yours, isn't it?"**

 **Kallen flinched and glanced at the woman. "Uh, yeah." She turned away. "Thank you so much," she called over her shoulder as she headed off.**

 **The three freedom fighters walked over to one of binoculars on the observation deck. "Oh, yeah," Ohgi began in an attempt to blend in. "There's no debating it. Life is better here thanks to Prince Clovis. I mean, it's all due to Britannia that we could rebuild as quickly as we did. I'm happy about that."**

 _Conveniently ignoring that it was Britannia that caused all of the destruction in the first place…_ Ohgi added bitterly.

 **Kallen strode towards the binoculars near where her friends stood. The phone began to vibrate in Kallen's hand. "Zero?" she wondered quietly, her eyes widening.**

 **The phone pressed to Lelouch's ear beeped to signal that Kallen had picked up. "Um, hello?" Kallen's voice drifted over the line.**

 **"I want you to board the outbound train on loop line five, and bring your friends," Lelouch said into the phone.**

 **"What?" Kallen hissed in surprise.**

* * *

 **"You handled His Highness' memorial program very well," Jeremiah remarked, turning his office chair around. "A little too weepy for my tastes, but…"**

 **Diethard, standing across Jeremiah and his two fellow Purebloods, Kewell and Villetta, only blinked, unfazed. "Yes, well, the masses tend to like tearjerkers, Your Excellency," Diethard responded sharply.**

 **"Spoken like a true TV-man," Jeremiah commented. "Still, I have to acknowledge the finesse you've shown. You did well in the short time you had. One would almost think that you were** ** _expecting_** **His Highness to meet his untimely end…"**

 **The unspoken accusation didn't go by Diethard unnoticed. He jerked further upright, his right arm crossing over his abdomen as he dipped into a shallow bow. "It's quite common for memorial programs to be set in advance for important people," he explained.**

 **"Does that include me, as well?" Jeremiah wondered.**

 **Diethard returned to his previous position, his arm falling to his side and back straightening. "Recent events may have bumped you up a bit, Your Excellency," he said, at length.**

 **Jeremiah's lips curled into a small smirk. "I wasn't deemed important enough 'till now, is that it?" he mused. "How forthright of you."**

 **"I'm afraid so, sir," Diethard replied impassively.**

 **"Ever thought of enlisting?" Jeremiah asked. "The army could use more men like you."**

 **"I don't think it'd be a good fit," Diethard shot down. "Not really my cup of tea."**

Kallen nodded in agreement. "That's right," she said. "Even in the Black Knights, he never deigned to dirty his own hands. He was only ever there as a media man. His job let him document everything and keep himself unsullied."

Chiba shook her head disapprovingly. "Coward," she spat. "And at the end, he fled with his tail between his legs. He could claim innocence because, technically, he'd done nothing but tail us with his camera."

 **"You prefer the civil sector, I take it?" Jeremiah guessed. He clasped his hands together. "No matter. I have another favor to ask of you." Kewell, standing at Jeremiah's right, glanced at Jeremiah out of the corner of his narrowed eyes. Jeremiah's lips quirked upwards, and he said, "Tomorrow night, Suzaku Kururugi will be transferred to his court-martial."**

 **"We should line the road with good patriotic Britannians," Diethard suggested knowingly.**

"God _damn_ him," Kallen muttered resentfully.

 **"Excellent. You catch on quickly, don't you?" Jeremiah praised. He tilted his head to stare at Villetta. "Be sure the rabble can see his face."**

 **"Lord Jeremiah, there are those among the Elevens who see Kururugi as a hero. Some might very well make an attempt to** ** _free_** **him," Villetta warned, disgust lacing her voice.**

Hearing the word 'Eleven' fall from her mouth, Villetta stifled a groan and shrank in her seat in shame. She pointedly avoided meeting her husband's eyes.

 **"I'll be there personally aboard my Sutherland. If anyone even** ** _thinks_** **of causing trouble, they'll be executed** ** _on the spot_** **," Jeremiah snarled.**

"Interesting threat, considering you turned traitor to _aid_ those very insurgents," Guilford spat.

Jeremiah suppressed the smile that threatened to overtake him. "Perhaps," he said.

 ** _"Attention all passengers. If you become aware of any suspicious items on board, please alert metro personnel by using the nearest inter-telephone."_**

 **Gripped tightly in Kallen's hand, the phone buzzed with an incoming call. She startled and glanced at it instantly, a glare on her face. She picked up and growled into the receiver, "What now?"**

 **"Face forward and look to your right," 'Zero' commanded. She did as he'd asked. "What do you see?"**

 **She gazed out at the towering skyscrapers that filled her line of sight, signs of Britannia's influence. "The Britannian city," she answered without hesitation. Her voice fringed with bitterness. "It was stolen away from us, and built on our sacrifice."**

 **"And on the left?" he demanded.**

 **Her eyes flickered to look out of the windows on the other side of the speeding train. She saw the ghettos; she saw innumerable buildings, standing but broken, split apart and cracked after the war—buildings that no one had ever bothered to fix before. "I see** ** _our_** **city." Yearning, something insatiable, filled her voice. "Remnants of a desiccated city after the Britannians sucked it dry."**

 **A pause. "Good answer," he said. "Now make your way to the front of the train."**

 **She grunted as the phone beeped in her hand. She nodded at her friends and started walking as the female voice droned on, announcing that they were nearing Okubo. Ohgi twisted to follow her, the other two resistance fighters tailing him hurriedly. Kallen pushed through the crowds determinedly, never noticing the eery red that ringed the other passengers' eyes.**

 **She stepped through the last door to enter the first carriage. Her eyes widened and she reared back in shock, a gasp exiting her mouth. Standing at the front of the passenger car, back facing her, was a figure dressed in an overly elaborate cape. A mask peeked up from above the cloak.**

 **"Was it you? On the phone?" she asked just as her friends came beside her. The doors slid shut after them.**

 **"Whoa… Do you think it's a trap?" Yoshida murmured under his breath so that only they could hear.**

 **"Well?" Kallen demanded, her arms opening. "Was that you in Shinjuku? Was that ceasefire your doing?"**

 **"Hey, we're talking to you!" Yoshida snapped, infuriated by the man's silence.**

 **Suddenly, just as the train plunged into darkness, the man they would one day come to know as Zero turned around to face them all. "What do you think of my tour of the Settlement?" he asked. His voice bounced off the train walls.**

Milly dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Ever the dramatic, aren't you, _Zero_?"

Rivalz groaned exaggeratedly. "It's all your fault," he accused. "Lelouch was never one for the theatrics before you."

"Well, if it _was_ because of my influence, then I'd say I did good in affecting him in that way. _Everyone_ needs to loosen up, every once in a while." She spared Kallen a glance. "Isn't that right, Kallen?"

Kallen blinked, recalling _that_ scene, in the shower. 'Nothing wrong with cutting loose,' she'd said. She shook her head and laughed. "Sure, Milly." But privately, Kallen couldn't help but agree with both Rivalz and Milly. Lelouch's tendency to overcomplicate things probably _was_ a result of Milly and her ridiculous festivals, but Kallen was glad for it. Grand and extravagant as they were, it was those very same plans that had allowed Kallen, and most likely Lelouch, too, to unwind and just _forget_ about the war.

She smiled and reached out to Milly, squeezing her shoulder gratefully. "Really, you're right." She hesitated. "It was always something to look forward to, in the end. Even if your designs were never the most practical." Who would have ever thought?

Milly grinned. "Is that your way of thanking me?"

Kallen flushed and looked away, her pleasant mood flipping. "Forget it," she grumbled.

Milly's grin widened, stretching from ear to ear in glee. "I should plan something for your graduation," she mused.

Rivalz imagined chocolate fudge raining down from the skies and horses trampling the graduates. He shuddered in horror. "Oh, God, please don't." Milly standing on the stage, hair flying and laugh maniacal. Milly ordering for eagles to soar over their heads and mark the end of their high school years. "Seriously. I don't think Ashford will survive another day of your schemes."

"Ashford, or you?" Kallen asked.

Rivalz shot her a glare. "You think _you'll_ survive?"

Kallen's eye twitched. "Longer than you, at least," she said. A shallow victory, but better than admitting defeat.

"Come on," Milly complained. "I'm not _that_ bad."

Kallen had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from snorting. Rivalz choked. Nina wisely looked away and steered clear of the conversation. Milly observed their reactions and sighed. "You'll _survive,_ at least."

Kallen knew that Milly wasn't intending it, but at her words, a vision of Lelouch—so, _so_ red, like fire, but that couldn't be right because he'd stopped burning—barged into her head. She recoiled visibly and grasped her head with one hand, suppressing a ragged gasp.

Milly, realizing her mistake, inhaled sharply. "Oh, God. Kallen, I'm so sorry. That was—that was tactless of me."

"It's not your fault." Kallen sighed. "He..."

"I know." Milly smiled knowingly, sadly. "All our friends seem to end up dead, don't they?"

"Yeah." Rivalz's voice was quiet, and Kallen remembered that he was once Lelouch's best friend. Lelouch's partner in crime, laughing on the seat of his motorbike, beside Lelouch, as they headed off into the horizon. "First Shirley, then Suzaku, and now Lelouch. One by one, dropping off like flies. Before you know it, we'll be six feet underground, too."

"Then maybe you _should_ plan something for our graduation," Kallen suggested softly. "Before, you know."

Milly laughed, but this time it was an angry laugh. "Yeah," she agreed. "We should do something."

"Fireworks," Nina offered. "We... we wanted to, remember?"

Kallen flinched. Because she _did_ remember. Lelouch's promise... God. He would never be able to fulfill any of his promises, ever again. She almost didn't want fireworks, not without Shirley and Lelouch—she tried not to think about Suzaku, suspecting that he was Zero—but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. In the end, she stayed quiet.

"That's right," Rivalz said wistfully. "It was Lelouch who told us we'd set off fireworks again. And we... we believed him." He wanted back to those peaceful times—happier times. He didn't need to say it, because Milly, Kallen, and Nina were all thinking the same thing.

"That's enough!" Cornelia snapped, finally running out of patience. _Fireworks_? They sounded too much like friends for her tastes. He was a _demon_ through and through. And as far as she knew, demons didn't _have_ friends. " _Why_? He betrayed you; he betrayed us all! He used his despicable Geass on you and yet you refuse to listen to reason. Again and again, you insist on viewing him as a classmate"—she absolutely _refused_ to say the word 'friend' in relation to him—"instead of the monster that he is. Why?"

Milly pursed her lips, her carefreeness quickly fading in the face of Cornelia's ire. "I apologize if I am overstepping my boundaries, Your Highness, but what I refuse to do is believe that he would turn his power on his own friends. It couldn't have been him." It couldn't have when Lelouch had always done what he could to help his friends and peers, his kind smile never faltering. It couldn't have been him, not the Lelouch who had gone along with her countless schemes—the Crossdresser's Ball, the giant pizza-making festivities, even Cupid's Day. (She quickly banished Shirley's face from her mind when it popped up, her gut wriggling with grief.)

"Then clearly you don't know him as well as you think you do."

Milly had no response to that. She wanted to think that she did, as his friend, but what if the princess was _right_? She'd apparently forgotten even Nunnally, after all. Who knew what else she'd mistaken?

 **"Your** ** _tour_** **?" Ohgi repeated in disbelief.**

 **"Oh, come on," Sugiyama said dismissively, disdain in his voice. "There's no way it was** ** _this_** **joker."**

 **"I wanted you to fully grasp the two," Lelouch declared. "The Settlement—" his left arm going up in a grand move that would become signature of Zero. "—and the ghetto." His right arm rose, as if to gesture at the 'other side' of the city, their side.**

 **Ohgi pushed in front of his friends. "Yeah, we know," he said, his face grim. "There's a difference between us and them. A very harsh one. And that's why we resist them."**

 **"You're wrong," Lelouch responded, his voice firm and full of so much conviction that Ohgi faltered. "Britannia will not fall to terrorism."**

 **"Fall?" Ohgi echoed.**

 **"It's little better than childish nuisance," Lelouch sneered.**

 **"What was that?" Yoshida snarled in outrage. "You calling us a bunch of kids?"**

 **"You should know your enemy. It is not the people, but Britannia itself! It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent." Beneath his mask, Lelouch's face twisted with something undeniable, something determined. "Take up your sword! Fight for justice!"**

 **Kallen bristled with barely contained rage. "Oh, please," she hissed. "That's all easy enough to say,** ** _isn't it_** **? Hiding behind that mask—why should we even trust you?"**

 **"She's right!" Yoshida joined in. "Lose the mask!"**

 **"Right," Ohgi agreed. "Are you going to show us your face or not?"**

 **"Very well, I'll show you," Lelouch—Zero—said. His voice, as always, reflected Zero, the ideal.**

 **Kallen's eyes narrowed, and her jaw shifted.**

"Wait—what?" Cornelia spluttered. She spun around to face Kallen, so quickly the redhead was surprised she didn't get whiplash. There was suspicion on her face. "He showed the four of you his face?"

Tamaki was wondering the same thing.

Kallen's face twitched, remembering what had happened in the train, and how it had marked the beginning of Zero—the beginning of the Black Knights. "No," she answered. "He didn't."

Cornelia fell back into her seat, shaking her head in a mixture of disappointment and relief. "I see," she said quietly. She turned back around to face the screen.

 **"But rather than my face," Lelouch continued, "bear witness to my** ** _power_** **! If I deliver to you the impossible, then I might have earned your trust." His lips curled upwards.**

"The impossible…" Nina pondered. "Geass?"

In her seat, Kallen burst out laughing. "Of course not," she dismissed the thought. A bitter smile found its way to her face. "He would never have told us about what he was capable of. Not directly. He never trusted anyone that much. Especially not during our first encounter." _Except perhaps C.C.,_ a venomous voice added in her mind. She twitched and pushed the thought away.

Sitting rows above Kallen, Nunnally smiled sadly. How like her brother. Even from the start, even from before Zero, he hadn't liked to trust others. _All because our mother died, and we were abandoned,_ she thought.

"What does he mean, then?" Rivalz asked quietly.

Kallen smiled mirthlessly. "Don't you remember his debut?"

Rivalz's brows furrowed into a small frown as he puzzled over the question. "Zero's first debut… _Suzaku_?" His breath hitched in surprise.

She nodded. "That's right," she said. "Back then, we thought attempting something like that would be downright impossible. But under Zero— _with_ Zero—it wasn't. He did that a lot—he made the impossible, possible."

Suzaku looked away, swallowing. _That's Lelouch, alright. He likes to redefine the meaning of impossible. He'll never settle for second best._ He paused, his expression souring. _No. It's past tense, now._ Because of him.

 **"He killed a prince of Britannia!" one voice argued. "Suzaku Kururugi should be treated as a** ** _hero_** **."**

 **"But he's an Honorary Britannian!"**

 **"Prime Minister Kururugi was his** ** _father,_** **" another reasoned.**

 **"So** ** _what_** **?" another man snapped. "The bastard gave up Japan! Our people don't know** ** _that_** **about him."**

Despite how long it had been, Suzaku had to flinch at the mention of that. _That was my doing,_ he thought, not sure if he regretted his actions or if he was just guilty. _My father didn't even have a choice… I made it for him._

Kallen spared Zero a backwards glance and laughed loudly. Most of the others looked at her curiously, confused by her amusement, but none dared to question her, or the bitter look on her face. _Gave up Japan…? Don't make me laugh. If there's anyone who gave up Japan, it's his son. Kururugi is no hero, not for that—and I refuse to acknowledge him for his deeds as Zero, not when Zero is the creation of the man he killed._

 **"The whole Shinjuku business was the work of Kouzuki's group, wasn't it?" Tatewaki Katase, leader of the JLF, asked.**

 **"Yes, sir," Kusakabe reported. "They're being led by a man named Ohgi, at the present."**

 **Katase hummed thoughtfully. "Has Kururugi's family said anything?"**

 **"No, sir. They broke contact with him once he joined the military."**

"His _family_ did?" Rivalz asked in horrified shock. "But—but that's—" he spluttered.

"The actions of a noble family," Milly cut off knowingly. "My time as a reporter has shown me that. The nobility have no shame."

Guilford's jaw dropped open. Was she, a _commoner_ who'd lost the favor of Emperor Charles, insulting the court? "How dare you—"

"Are you going to deny it?" Milly interrupted him, her voice even. When he fell silent, eyes wide but resigned, she snorted with satisfaction.

"I bet you'd know more about that if you weren't Geassed by the demon," Villetta sneered contemptibly.

It was Milly's turn to look away, disquieted. She recalled her time as the daughter of nobility, and felt a familiar twinge in the back of her head when she pried into her earliest years. She'd always waved it off as nothing, before today, but now that she knew what Geass was, and had seen how it worked—had seen how it reduced people to _something that wasn't themselves_ —she couldn't help but shiver. Now she knew that the feeling, akin to loss and _missing something she could never quite place_ , was an effect of Geass.

"Miss Villetta," Kaguya snapped, her gaze unexplainably dark. Villetta recoiled and slowly inched around to face the Chairwoman. "You'd belittle her for the Geass placed on her? She had no say in that," Kaguya continued furiously. "I doubt _you'd_ want to be Geassed, would you?"

Villetta's eyes widened, her voice stolen from her.

It was Ohgi who eventually stepped up for her. "That was uncalled for, Lady Kaguya," Ohgi shot back with a pensive frown. "We've all seen that she _has,_ in fact, been Geassed."

Kaguya smiled grimly. "Then she should know better than to spit upon others who have, as well. Your wife knows the horrors of Geass intimately, so why should she act like she's any _cleaner_?"

"Villetta wasn't looking down on Miss Ashford because she was Geassed," Ohgi defended. "It's because of what she said about the nobility!"

"Perhaps you should let your wife speak for herself," Kaguya retorted calmly, her stare focused on Villetta.

Villetta swallowed thickly and squeezed her eyes shut, her hands clasping in front of her as a wave of nausea—a wave of _memories_ —swept through her. Her time in the Geass Directorate, working alongside Agent Halliburton and the others in an attempt to flush Lelouch's Geass out. Her agreement with Lelouch during the brief time they'd been on the same side. Her knowledge of _others_ with Geass—Emperor Charles and his all-knowing eyes, smirking down at them all through his haze of cruelty.

 _No,_ she reminded herself forcefully. _That's over now,_ she reassured herself. _It's over._

When Ohgi laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, she forced back the bile rising in her throat and smiled back at him. _I'm fine,_ she mouthed at him. His smile widened and she suppressed the disgust she felt for herself. _He's better off not knowing,_ she tried to convince herself, guiltily. _They're all better off that way. Because who wants to know about horrors that have already been dealt with?_

 **Katase turned to face Kyoushiro Todoh, who sat at the front of the room, in front of the flag of Japan. "Todoh, what are your thoughts?"**

 **Todoh's eyes opened to regard Katase. "We should not become involved with this public execution," he said after a pause.**

 **"That's cowardly!" Kusakabe retorted, scowling. "You're** ** _Todoh the Miracle Worker,_** **right?" he added with a sneer.**

 **"There's a difference between miracles and foolhardiness," Todoh answered evenly.**

 _He… he was completely ready to leave me for dead. He didn't even falter,_ Suzaku thought, a pang of something foreign shooting up him. The last time he'd felt something like this was when he had been told of Lelouch's accursed Geass, and his identity as Zero—when he'd put two and two together and realized that it was _Lelouch_ who had manipulated Euphemia, who had _killed her._

He told himself that he shouldn't be surprised. He'd betrayed Todoh first, after all, by becoming an Honorary Britannian and, in essence, turning his back on the old Japan. He'd betrayed Todoh by working for Japan's oppressors, for becoming a slave to the same military that conquered his land.

And then he'd betrayed Todoh _again_ when he'd been ordered to execute the man. And he had been resigned to going through with it. He tried to tell himself that he wouldn't have, even if Zero— _Lelouch_ —hadn't interfered, but he couldn't fool himself. Back then, he had been far too determined to change Britannia from within—what a _foolish_ plan, he thought now—to listen to reason, and he would have sacrificed even his old sensei to achieve that farfetched peace.

He would have thought, _this is for the good of Japan,_ and swallowed down his guilt. He knew he would have, because he had done the same thing to his father.

 _You're right, Todoh-sensei._ Did he even deserve to call Todoh his master anymore? _There is a difference between miracles and foolhardiness._ Suzaku heaved a sigh and solidified his resolve to see Lelouch's plan through to the end. _Lelouch knew that difference, but even then, he would have been willing to risk whatever he had to if he thought 'foolhardiness' was worth the outcome. He was always the smartest out of the two of us, and I killed him. For peace. I'll ensure that peace, as he left me to do. I won't betray his trust._

Not after everything that lay behind them.

 **"Congratulations!" Lloyd cheered, sitting down on a wooden chair in front of Suzaku Kururugi's cell. The private jerked up in surprise and regarded Lloyd with curiosity. "Those two you asked me about weren't on the list of casualties."**

 **Suzaku sagged in relief, his hunched shoulders lowering. "That's good to hear," he exhaled.**

 **"Not much luck on your end, though," Lloyd remarked. "You may be getting a** ** _trial_** **, but no one is pulling for you, certainly."**

 **"But the court's where truth comes to light," Suzaku protested.**

A harsh bark of laughter slipped out of Kaguya's lips, unchecked. How naive _was_ her cousin? Or at least, how naive had he _been_?

Truth?

Truth was nothing more than an illusion, one that an empire as powerful as Britannia could never have tolerated, not under Emperor Charles' rule. And the _court_ was only a tool to further Britannia's glory and superiority, lording its might over the weak and powerless as they struggled under its merciless boot.

The court was home to the worst vultures, and Suzaku was wrong if he had seriously believed something like _truth_ or _justice_ could prevail in Charles zi Britannia's system.

 **"I expect there'll be more smoke and mirrors than anything," Lloyd said. "The truth is scarce, of late."**

"That's for sure," Anya muttered. No one dared argue against her, especially not those who shared her sentiments.

 **"If that's how the world works, then…" Suzaku's eyes narrowed, the emerald of his gaze hardening. "So be it. I've no regret."**

The screen went dark, illuminated only by the Japanese characters running up and down the screen.

"That… that _fool_!" Kallen spat, her shoulders shaking with barely suppressed rage.

"K-Kallen?" Rivalz asked in surprise. "But he…" His face grew sober as the implications hit him. "He was well aware of his fate—or what his fate would have been, if Zero… _Lelouch_ … hadn't shown up. Suzaku was _prepared_ to die."

"If that's how the world works?" Kallen repeated Suzaku's words, her voice laced with incredulity and more than just a smidgen of outrage. She acted as though she hadn't even heard Rivalz speaking. "How _dare_ he? To make light of everything, our war, our struggle, our _loss._ The _truth_ stops mattering when it's as wretched as it became, before Zero."

What she wanted to say was, how _dare_ he pass judgment when he, too, hid behind his lies—when he wanted to claim Zero, _Lelouch_ , for himself? How _dare_ he condemn them for lying and pretend that he was better than them when he was the greatest criminal of all?

The words were on her tongue, itching, begging for escape. They shrieked inside her mind, but—but—

But Lelouch had clearly trusted him. Trusted _Suzaku,_ who betrayed and betrayed and betrayed, of all people. Why?

"Kallen…" Milly said sadly.

"But… he's talking about the court, isn't he?" Nina asked, confused. "About the court and about how he will never get a fair trial. What does… what does that have to do with the Japanese's fight?"

" _Everything,_ " Kallen snarled. "He's not talking about the _court,_ Nina, he's talking about sin in general." It was ironic, how _Nina_ would argue with Kallen about Suzaku, when she'd always been terrified of him. "He's talking about right and wrong." Or at least that was how she heard it. And she wanted to scream at him, _Stop being a goddamn hypocrite, Kururugi!_

She hated that he could be _such_ a phony. There he was, claiming to hate their lies when he was perhaps the one with the most lies to keep. Hadn't he always preached about "good" and "the right means" to Lelouch? It was repugnant. He was worse than Lelouch. He was nothing more than a murderer. He'd murdered his father and he'd murdered Lelouch.

But was it really _murder_ if the victim consented to it?

Was it murder if the victim _wanted_ and _planned_ it? Or was it just obedience?

* * *

 **A/N: So here is Part 1 of Stage 04, finally uploaded. A lot of things I wasn't sure of in this one, but I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless. Please review, and tell me what you think; and if you have any requests about which specific characters you want to see the reactions of, feel free to write me.** **I'll try to upload Part 2 soon, so there's that.**


	9. Stage 04: His Name is Zero Pt 2

**Disclaimer:** **I own nothing.**

* * *

 **Stage 04: His Name is Zero**

\- Part 2 -

* * *

Last time on The Truth Hurts More:

"But… he's talking about the court, isn't he?" Nina asked, confused. "About the court and about how he will never get a fair trial. What does… what does that have to do with the Japanese's fight?"

"Everything," Kallen snarled. "He's not talking about the court, Nina, he's talking about sin in general." It was ironic, how Nina would argue with Kallen about Suzaku, when she'd always been terrified of him. "He's talking about right and wrong." Or at least that was how she heard it. And she wanted to scream at him, Stop being a goddamn hypocrite, Kururugi!

She hated that he could be such a phony. There he was, claiming to hate their lies when he was perhaps the one with the most lies to keep. Hadn't he always preached about "good" and "the right means" to Lelouch? It was repugnant. He was worse than Lelouch. He was nothing more than a murderer. He'd murdered his father and he'd murdered Lelouch.

But was it really murder if the victim consented to it?

Was it murder if the victim wanted and planned it? Or was it just obedience?

* * *

Now on The Truth Hurts More:

 **"Any moment. Any moment now. It's a sight to see. The throngs lining the route. All of them waiting on bated breath, waiting for the accused murderer of Prince Clovis to pass by, Honorary Britannian and former Eleven, Suzaku Kururugi," the reporter on the screen droned. All around the area, Britannians and Elevens alike watched the report with rapt attention.**

 **"Camera 5 is a little slow," Diethard commented. "Talk to me, Charles. Your team been deployed yet?" He frowned, surveying the multiple screens in front of him, showcasing the reporter. "What, the studio? Let them wait. Nothing's been pushed back. Everything's going according to plan."**

 **Diethard smirked. "Here we go," he muttered.**

 **"I—I can see them!" the reporter crowed. "They have the suspect. Suzaku Kururugi's headed this way!" Indeed, Suzaku was escorted through the streets, infantrymen and Knightmares both guarding him—rather, guarding everyone else** ** _from_** **him.**

 **"Like clockwork," Diethard remarked. He severed the connection and heaved a sigh. "What a circus this is—and I'm just as corrupt as any of them."**

"At least _he_ knew and could admit to as much," Ohgi scowled. "That's more than the Demon can say."

Villetta rested a hand gently on his thigh, not saying anything because she didn't need to. Understanding her touch better than any words, he sighed and leaned into her warmth. Tiredly, he settled back into his seat.

 **"This is insane," Cecile fretted. "We know Suzaku is innocent."**

 **"Well, the court deemed our testimony inadmissible. There's nothing we can do," Lloyd replied.**

 **"Yes, but—"**

 **"Is that altruism or humanitarianism?"**

 **Cecile frowned. "This isn't the time for a game of semantics," she admonished.**

 **"Not much else** ** _to_** **do," Lloyd countered offhandedly. "We both know where this case is headed, don't we? We couldn't reach him at the summit. All we can do is cut our losses, really."**

Milly craned her head around to glare at her ex-betrothed. "Lloyd!" she shrieked. He flinched and reared away from her, arms flying up to cover his face protectively. She harrumphed at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're _repulsive._ "

Only when he was sure she wouldn't try to attack him physically did he lower his hands and stare back at her. "Now, now," he purred, clicking his tongue. "If I'm _repulsive_ as you say, then what about the woman engaged to me?"

" _Formerly_ engaged," she corrected sharply. "I can't believe you would have abandoned him just like that!"

He shrugged, not quite seeing why his flippant behavior onscreen had enraged Milly so much. "What else could I have done?" he protested. "We already tried to testify in his defense!"

Her eyes swept over him critically. "Yeah, well, considering who you are, I can see why the court dismissed your testimony," she sneered.

His jaw dropped. "Mi- _lly_!" he whined. "It's not my fault they were too bigoted to see the bigger picture."

"Oh, shut up, Lloyd," she snapped. "You're not helping your case at all." She crossed her arms over her chest and pointedly shifted away from him.

Rivalz, who'd watched the entire encounter, struggled to keep the wide grin off his face. He laughed silently to himself. Needless to say, he greatly enjoyed watching the eccentric scientist continue to dig a deeper hole for himself.

A few others had heard the confrontation—if it could be called that—as well. One such witness was Zero himself, perched tensely beside his charge. Though none could see it, a small frown adorned his lips. _Lloyd-san,_ he thought, scrutinizing the engineer closely. He swallowed. Lloyd had never been entirely tolerating of him, always holding his 'precious machines' with higher regard than his pilot. Still, Suzaku would have liked to think that they'd formed something of a friendship after everything they'd been through.

 _You can't really blame him,_ he reasoned to himself. _You know how odd he can be. Besides, you've barely spent any time with him at this point._

His eyes dragged sidewards to assess Cecile next. She sat on the other side of Lloyd, and her body shuddered with a rage similar to Milly's. Suzaku shook his head fondly and sighed. She had always done her best to stick up for him, even when he hadn't needed—or _wanted_ —it.

 **"Voices of scorn, growing ever louder," the reporter continued. "Voices bearing testament to a people's love of their prince, raining their judgement down on a terrorist!"**

Kallen snorted. "Yes, what a _beloved_ prince," she sneered sarcastically.

Cornelia heard her insulting tone and frowned. It took all she had to restrain herself from lashing out at the half-Britannian, half-Japanese woman. She paused, as if realizing she no longer had to protect him. He may have been her brother, but he was dead now and he'd spent his last moments accusing her of being involved in her hero's murder. _Still,_ she thought, _he_ is _dead and he can't defend himself…_

She was drawn out of her musings when the empress, her sister, appeared on the screen. Cornelia's expression softened at the desperation on Nunnally's face. _Nana…_

 **In the privacy of her room, Nunnally clutched the radio tightly. "Suzaku!" she whimpered.**

Cornelia sighed. She hated that _both_ of her sisters had been so fond of the Eleven—never mind the fact that he'd been an Honorary Britannian _or_ that the Japanese had regained their freedom. _He was a fool,_ she scowled. _A fool and a traitor. He chose the Demon over Euphie—his own charge._

Her hands curled into fists. _This is taking forever,_ she thought balefully. _All I want to see is Euphie's death—I want to see the Demon use his Geass on her, with my own eyes. Until then…_ She snarled to herself.

 **The screen went black, and then the familiar cloak of Zero filled their eyes. There was no helmet to conceal Lelouch's shoulder-length black hair from the audience.**

 **"Margrave Jeremiah, integral in settling this case, will be presiding over the trial as Acting Consul," the reporter informed. The screen panned upwards to display Jeremiah, who stood tall and powerful at the top of his Knightmare.**

 **Lelouch pulled on Zero's gloves as the convoy continued down the street.**

 **Civilians weren't the only ones viewing the trial from the safety of their homes. A familiar group of five gathered in front of the television, red headbands wrapped around the heads of them all. "No way the three of them can pull this off on their own," Tamaki Shinichiro sneered, elbow resting on the table.**

"Well, you couldn't have been more wrong," Kallen boasted pridefully. She looked back on the events with a mixture of nostalgia and bitterness. If only she'd known, back then, how much Zero— _Lelouch_ —would change her life.

Tamaki grunted, recognizing the truth in her words even though he hated them. He refused to give her a verbal answer however, his eyes still trained on the screen. The realization that Ohgi and Villetta had lied to them— _knowingly,_ he thought angrily—was difficult to wrap his mind around. He couldn't stomach the thought that Ohgi had chosen Villetta over Zero, over their cause.

At the very least, that was how he saw it.

 **Two hands held out Zero's mask.**

 **"He told us… He said he'd make the impossible, possible," Ohgi muttered. "He gave us his word—to save Suzaku Kururugi!"**

 **Lelouch flipped around Zero's mask.** ** _Right,_** **he thought as he fitted the mask over his face.** ** _No need to turn back. The die is cast._**

* * *

 **"Acting Consul Jeremiah!" an officer barked into the radio.**

 **"What is it?" Jeremiah asked.**

 **"Vehicle approaching the main highway from third," the officer reported. "We just let it through as you instructed, but…"**

 **"Do you believe the target could be a terrorist's vehicle?" Jeremiah pressed.**

 **The officer seemed to hesitate. "Well, sir, its Prince Clovis' car."**

 **Jeremiah reacted instantly, face contorting with surprise. "The prince's car? Well, looks like we've got a comedian," he mused to himself. "Don't worry about it. Just let them through to us. All forces hold here!" He waved his hand in signal.**

 **Suzaku's eyes widened.**

* * *

 **"Hey, they stopped!" Sugiyama noted with a start. "They really did!"**

 **Tamaki dismissed it with nothing but a scoff. "Heh, it's just a coincidence," he assured them.**

 **"Yeah, but he said Jeremiah would try to hog all the limelight, make some sort of stand about it," another of his terrorist comrades argued.**

 **"COINCIDENCE!" Tamaki thundered.**

"Coincidence, huh?" Kallen hummed nonchalantly as she smirked up at him. Her blue eyes seemed to glow with a pride Tamaki had seen in the Demon Emperor's haughty gaze before. "You were singing a different song when we proved successful."

Tamaki smiled bitterly. "But just _how_ successful were you?" he whispered to himself, voice resentful as his eyes fixed on Japan's new Prime Minister and his wife. He glanced back at Kallen, saw the way her brows knitted together in confusion, and gritted his teeth.

He tried to convey the shame and self-loathing that was beginning to swallow him up but couldn't find the words to. "I'm beginning to think we'd all be better off if I'd been right, and it really had been all a coincidence," he said finally. _At least then,_ he thought, _Ohgi would never have had to choose between our Japanese pride and his new woman._

 _At least then he wouldn't have had the chance to choose her._

He turned away angrily, missing the way Kallen bit her lip in frustrated worry. He never saw the growing anger in her eyes as she dug her nails into the crushed velvet of her seat and tried to numb her irritation.

While Tamaki careened further and further into an abyss of madness, she found herself surrounded by imposing towers of rage. _You didn't use us. Why can't they see that?_

 **"This is not a scheduled stop," the reporter announced, confused. "Could there have been some sort of accident?" he theorized.**

 **"This is Site 5," one of his colleagues called in. "There's a vehicle approaching them."**

"Here it comes," Guilford murmured to himself, impatiently drumming his fingers on his armrest.

Beside him, Cornelia frowned slightly. _Jeremiah was one of Marianne's guardsmen. Even now, I find it hard to believe that he so willingly betrayed a member of the royal family..._ But Zero had been Lelouch. Lelouch, the son of Marianne.

She sought his familiar amber eyes and blue hair in the audience, frown deepening when she caught sight of the Japanese woman at his side. _Jeremiah Gottwald... did you know who he was all along?_

 **Jeremiah harrumphed to himself, even as his smirk widened.**

" **It's—it's Prince Clovis' personal transport!" the reporter stammered. "And it's heading straight for the cavalcade!"**

 **Ohgi, too, watched the vehicle. "What the... He's heading straight at them. What's he planning?"**

 **Dressed as a chauffeur, Kallen squirmed in the driver's seat. She wore a hat to disguise her identity.** ** _Hope they can't tell it's fake,_** **she worried.**

"Fake, huh?" Chiba mused. "I've always wondered how you pulled this off…"

But when Chiba twisted around to stare searchingly at the redheaded ace, Kallen only smiled mysteriously.

 **The scene blurred over, signalling a memory. Zero stood in front of Kallen and Ohgi in the middle of a junkyard. "I see. Just you two, then," he observed.**

 **Ohgi tensed. "I'm sorry. We just need a little more time. If more people understood what we—"**

 **"No," Lelouch cut him off, "the two of you will do just fine."**

Cornelia's eyes flew open in shock. "So it really _was_ only the two of you working with Zero to free Kururugi?" She paused for a second, realized she was showing her surprise, and concealed it with a growl.

She remembered one of the other Black Knights' words—"no way the three of them can pull this off on their own" ( _so he'd been telling the truth_ ) _—_ and shook her head incredulously. She muttered sullenly underneath her breath, "This is driving me insane."

"That's right," Kallen said proudly. In a burst of impulsiveness, she leapt from her seat and smirked at the purple-haired princess. "I'd like to see _you_ prove capable of that," she jeered.

Cornelia's eye twitched violently. "Be glad I promised my sister I'd refrain from _physical aggression_ ," she huffed.

Kallen just hummed and smirked wider. "I think it's you who should be glad," she countered boastfully. "After all, I've shown myself to be your better in Knightmare combat multiple times."

"I—you—how _dare you,_ " Cornelia managed to ground out. Guilford's eyes darted between Cornelia's reddening face and her painfully obvious sword with a worried grimace. "I'll—"

"That's enough," Empress Nunnally placated quickly, noticing the rising tension with pursed lips. "We're not here to fight with each other."

Kallen harrumphed and fell back on her seat. Unseen to either Nunnally or Cornelia, a satisfied smile slid onto Kallen's face. "We'll see about that," she murmured to herself, eliciting concerned glances from her Ashford friends.

Cornelia had chosen Schneizel over Lelouch. Kallen doubted she'd ever forgive the princess for that.

 **Kallen balked visibly. "Huh? Come on! That's ridiculous! There will be too many of them!"**

 **"With your help, clearing the task at hand will be child's play." Zero's voice was even and composed, authoritative. His arm flung out to point outwards. "I'll need this by tomorrow. All that matters is the exterior."**

"You doubted him back then, didn't you?" Rivalz asked Kallen, whose taut shoulders were finally beginning to loosen after her verbal confrontation with Cornelia. "You said... you told him 'that's ridiculous.'"

Kallen half-shrugged. "Yeah, but it worked, didn't it?" _Lelouch always_ was _ridiculous,_ she reminisced. "As long as we succeeded, who cares if it's out of the ordinary?" She grinned a little— _who would have thought I'd one day defend a spoilt Brit boy?_

"No, I mean,"—Rivalz paused, looking lost for a moment before he loosed a sigh and leaned back, propping his chin in his hand—"why did you still go along with it? If you didn't believe him?"

Kallen's lips pursed. Why _had_ she gone along with it?

She wondered what would have happened if she and Ohgi had just rolled their eyes, told Zero he was crazy, and gone along with their respective lives. _Maybe the Black Knights would have never existed. Or maybe they would have, just... not Q1._ She flinched at the thought.

Q1. _She_ was Q1. _Lelouch's_ Q1.

She wouldn't trade that position for anything.

"Who could deny someone in a costume like that?" she joked after shaking off the wave of nausea, pasting on a smile even as her gut wriggled.

Rivalz smiled weakly back at her while Milly laughed uproariously, giddy that Kallen was finally 'embracing her influence'. Nina shrank further into her seat.

 _I went along because even though I didn't believe Zero at the time, I believed his cause. I believed in justice, in Naoto's dream._ She just wished Lelouch could have lived to experience his justice come to life.

 **Kallen trembled as the memory faded and she drove closer towards the convoy.**

 **"You dare desecrate His Highness's transport?" Jeremiah roared. "Come out of there!" In answer, the flag of Britannia burned down to reveal Zero. "Huh?" Jeremiah muttered in incoherent surprise, echoed by the gasps of the public.**

 **"I am Zero!" 'Zero's' voice carried across to Jeremiah, to the clamoring crowds hemming in the street.**

"Zero…" Kallen sighed to herself, as if she was truly reliving the moment. Every second of everyday, she remembered Zero's debut, remembered the feeling of exhilaration that had swept through her as she heard his proclamations. Remembered the shock and disbelief that had filled her when Jeremiah had let Kururugi go.

Without consciously realizing it, she looked up at the unresponsive form of Zero and scowled. He—this new Zero was so different from the one she'd known, served under, and loved.

This Zero was nothing compared to Lelouch's. He was a disgrace to Lelouch's legacy as Japan's greatest hope. _Her_ greatest hope.

She looked down and her eyes squeezed shut. _Lelouch…_

She hated this new Zero. She hated him because he represented the cold reality of how she had failed. She hated him because he was a constant reminder of Lelouch's absence. Because he _wasn't_ the real Zero, _wasn't_ Lelouch.

 **"Zero?" Villetta wondered to herself.**

 **"Who is this person?" the reporter demanded as the television captured Zero's costume and mask. "This man calling himself Zero, standing before a full military convoy?"**

"He will do much more than stand before a full military convoy," Nunnally said sadly.

Zero, the only one who heard her, bowed his head and choked down a strangled apology. _I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry so sorry I'm so so sorry,_ he wanted to say, over and over again.

But he couldn't do anything but watch as Lelouch's lie— _their lie_ —slowly began to unravel onscreen.

 **"What is all this?" Rivalz breathed.**

* * *

 **Tamaki watched in open-mouthed shock. "What the** ** _hell_** **does he think he's doing?" he exclaimed.**

* * *

 **"Who is this man calling himself Zero?"**

 **It was a question that, without a doubt, reigned in the minds of all those present, and all those watching the proceedings from their houses.**

 **"Zero?" Diethard echoed. "What do you mean, like 'nothing'?"**

 **"Are we gazing on a terrorist?" the reporter continued to speak. "Certainly not the wisest if such is the case."**

 ** _Is he… an Eleven?_** **Suzaku wondered to himself.**

 ** _Now to return the favor, Suzaku,_** **Lelouch thought determinedly.**

 **"I've seen enough,** ** _Zero,_** **" Jeremiah mocked. He raised an arm, fingers wrapped around his gun. "This little show of yours is over." He fired once, into the air. On his signal, a group of four Sutherlands fell from their cargo transports in the sky and onto the road.**

 **Kallen stared at the situation unfolding before her in unveiled terror. She gasped in fear.**

"Kallen…" Milly whispered sympathetically.

Kallen just wished that if she imagined it clearly enough, she could dig a hole in the floor and disappear forever. She hated seeing herself so plainly vulnerable.

"I don't understand how you could go along with his plan when you have such little hope in it," Cornelia said from the side. "The most important thing that needs to be established between a soldier and his leader, perhaps even more than loyalty, is trust—faith. How can you expect to work together if you don't believe he'll lead you to victory and success?"

Kallen just groaned and sank deeper into her seat.

 **"First things first," Jeremiah's voice bellowed in the air. "Why don't you lose that mask?"**

 **Zero raised his hand to his mask, as if he was about to obey Jeremiah and remove it. Without a word, his arm reached up in a display of flamboyance and he clicked his fingers together. The compartment behind him fell apart, allowing Jeremiah and everyone else to see a large, circular container set up behind him.**

 **Jeremiah's eyes went wide with panic. "What in the…!?"**

"You almost have me fooled," Guilford sneered in disgust. "But you were lying all along, weren't you? You've betrayed _everyone_ you swore loyalty to."

Jeremiah refused to let Guilford antagonize him. He wouldn't take the bait; Lelouch had so often reminded him of the value of patience, and he wouldn't begin rejecting his lord's teachings now.

"First you betrayed Prince Clovis by handing Kururugi over, showing that your fealty belonged to Zero over the crown," Guilford counted off, holding up one finger.

Jeremiah almost let slip a hysterical laugh— _almost._ He shook his head at Guilford's ramblings. _You missed one instance,_ he thought regretfully. _Lady Marianne. She is the first I failed._

"Second came Princess Cornelia," Guilford snarled. "You failed her at Narita."

 _But my failure at Narita resulted in my attaining of the Geass Canceller. The same Canceller that enabled me to aid my lord in battle against his enemies._ For that reason alone, he would never regret the loss of his eye—the device that had replaced it was far more useful to his emperor.

"And _then_ , even _after_ Prince Schneizel gave you a second chance,"—Guilford continued venomously, briefly pausing in the middle of his rant to mutter something like _I still have no idea why on Earth he'd do that_ under his breath—"you failed him, too. Yet another betrayal; this one also for Zero's sake."

Jeremiah smiled placidly.

"The royal family has given you too many chances," Guilford said angrily. When he saw that Jeremiah remained calm even in the face of his accusations, he bristled and said impulsively, "Even— _even_ the Demon."

Jeremiah's eyes widened. He sucked in a sharp breath and leaned forward in his seat, listening more intently to Guilford's words.

"Oh, no," Anya groaned quietly to herself, at the same time as Sayoko closed her eyes and thought with tired frustration, _You'd better tread carefully, Knight of Cornelia._

"You betrayed even him, I see," Guilford said, his tone a mixture of repulsed and impressed. He wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed that one of Emperor Lelouch's most trusted soldiers had turned traitor on him, or to feel pity that even the Demon had been duped. "You really are a traitorous little rat—never satisfied, never loyal-to-the-end. When things turn out ugly… you just flee." He shook his head in disappointment; even if Lelouch _had_ been the Demon, it was infuriating to see Gottwald's dishonorable actions spit upon everything Guilford had ever worked for.

Everything a knight stood for.

Sayoko cringed. She knew that there was nothing Jeremiah took more pride in than his loyalty to Emperor Lelouch. She knew Jeremiah would never stand to hear Lelouch's legacy and his duty dragged through the mud, not in this way—not when Jeremiah would have gladly given his life in Lelouch's service.

Jeremiah was a man of loyalty, and it was the one thing he'd never give up. She sighed and twisted to regard Jeremiah warily.

The man was frozen stiff in his seat, not moving a muscle save for the vein popping on his forehead. Everything in his eyes screamed rage—he looked more insane than ever before in the darkness of the theatre, his face coloring red and jaw clenching.

Without pausing for even a second to breathe, Jeremiah surged upward and lurched forward to grab the top of the seat in front of him with both hands. Shining knives—glinting dark like an assassin's blades in the dead of night—emerged from his hands and pierced through the air, slicing wind with an unmistakable swish.

Sayoko could only thank the lucky stars that no one had chosen to sit in that particular seat.

"You _dare_!?" Jeremiah snarled, practically frothing at the mouth.

Sayoko, acting out of an instinct that had been grilled into her from the first time he'd lost his temper, jumped up and grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him back down frantically. When he refused to budge, Anya loosed an exasperated sigh and tugged Jeremiah down sharply.

"He's not worth it, Jeremiah," Sayoko urged. "Sit back down."

"Yeah, Jeremiah," Anya added hurriedly. "Come on."

Jeremiah didn't even seem to be listening to them. He shrugged both women off wordlessly, eyes still screaming with murderous intent. He could listen to Guilford disparage his betrayals against Prince Clovis, Princess Cornelia, and Prince Schneizel _all day long._

But the moment the blinded knight dared accuse him of stabbing _Emperor_ _Lelouch_ in the back… Jeremiah wondered if Guilford had ever been stabbed (as Lelouch was on the day of his death, tumbling and tumbling with _red_ like a fallen angel) before, and he smiled sinisterly.

Anya's eyes fluttered shut when Guilford stood up as well. "Oh, what the hell," she huffed in a voice that said _I give up, you handle these children._

Sayoko glared at her, but rolled her eyes after a while. She sighed similarly. "He was asking for it," she concluded finally with a dismissive shrug. _Not like I particularly care for Guilford's health. I've had enough of his foolery, too._

"Are your ears failing you?" Guilford mocked. "Because ignorance won't save you! _You fooled us all_ —I'd mention Zero, too, but we've all seen that Emperor Lelouch and Zero are one and the same. You advocated his beliefs, and then when he died in front of the world, you chose to prioritize your own safety and _you retreated_. Like a _coward._ "

"No…" Jeremiah whispered to himself. He clenched his fists and hissed, "Shut up!"

Sayoko and Anya exchanged a glance—not quite concerned, but rather wondering whether they should be.

"You only care about yourself."

Jeremiah roared into action. Lelouch's imperious eyes stared him down as he lunged at Guilford, knives outstretched.

"That's _enough_!" Nunnally shouted when she realized Jeremiah wasn't about to stop. It was hard to believe that they'd come to blows _already_. And all because of the truth… _No. We need to know._ I _need to._ "Stop it right now!" she barked sharply.

Thankfully, Cornelia was quick to back her sister's order up, pushing herself in front of her knight and glaring Jeremiah down. "You heard her," she hissed at him as he halted abruptly, mere inches from her face. "Go back to your seat."

Jeremiah sulked for a moment before reluctantly obeying, nothing but the soft voice of his master's sister easing him into compliance.

 _"You will protect my sister upon my death."_

"Thank God," Nunnally sighed in relief from above, surprised but pleased that Jeremiah had backed down without argument.

Zero nodded in agreement, but while she was stunned by Jeremiah's cooperative behavior, Zero was instead shocked that Jeremiah had been provoked so easily—although, he remembered, Jeremiah always _had_ taken all things concerning Lelouch a little too seriously.

 _"You will_ all _protect her."_

 _"Yes, Your Majesty."_

 **Villetta pushed herself out of a Knightmare of her own. "Jeremiah, be careful, he's got the—" she started to warn him.**

 ** _Yes, Jeremiah,_** **Lelouch thought, lips twitching into a cunning smirk.** ** _You never saw inside this thing._** **An image of C.C., unfurling as the sphere that once contained her hissed open, flashed in his mind.** ** _So you assume it holds poison gas._**

"You didn't know?" Gino asked in surprise, staring at Lelouch's captain.

Jeremiah's head was bowed. "No," he said, and a smile shone through his voice, "I didn't."

"O-Oh," Gino mumbled quietly.

Jeremiah shrugged. "Did you really think Prince Clovis told anyone but his Royal Guard?" He smirked and added, "Do you really see me as the kind of man to condone human experimentation?"

"I—I don't really know _what_ I thought," Gino stammered nervously. "I just, well…"

Jeremiah laughed deliriously and tuned Gino out, gazing up at the screen with greedy eyes desperate for more. This was the only thing he had left of his emperor. The only way Emperor Lelouch could live in his eyes again, reborn by a splash of color on the screen.

 **Recognition crossed Suzaku's eyes. "Wait, you don't understand—!" He was stopped from relaying his knowledge of C.C. to them when the collar around his neck buzzed and sparked with electricity, shocking him into pained silence.**

 **"Can all of you watching at home see this?" It was the reporter again, speaking frantically into the microphone. "It's some sort of device, although its purpose is unclear," he puzzled. "Stay with us, and we'll see if this so-called terrorist has anything to say."**

 **Jeremiah shook with fury. Sweat beaded his temple. "You bastard!" he spat angrily, voice too low for anyone lining the streets to hear. "He's taken every Britannian here hostage, and he's done it without them even** ** _knowing_** **it." His eyes were crazed as he outstretched his gun-toting arm and took aim.**

 **"You intend to shoot?" Zero asked, smugness in his voice. "I think you know full well what will happen if you do."**

Kaguya sighed longingly, a dreamy quality to her eyes. The first time she'd seen her cousin's rescue by Zero, on the news, she'd instantly known that Zero would change their world—whether for better or for worse.

And even know, even as the cruel laugh of the Demon echoed in her ears, she remembered how enamored she'd been in that moment. She remembered smiling and saying confidently to Kirihara, the old fool, _"Just you wait and see—_ that _is the man who will liberate us all."_

She remembered believing even when Kirihara rolled his eyes, told her _don't be a fool, Kaguya,_ and laughed her delusions away.

 _Dramatic as always… Demon Emperor._ She smiled miserably.

 **Diethard gritted his teeth and leaned over to closer watch one of the many screens in his trailer. "Unit 6, bring up the sound and get that camera right in his face!"**

 **"Sir, it's too hairy out here," one of the cameramen protested.**

 **Diethard grumbled to himself. "Tch, amateurs!" He grabbed his own camera and hurried outside, too hooked on the potential news coverage to worry about his own safety.**

Tamaki shook his head and grinned a little, thinking of all the times he'd shoved Diethard around and sneered at him for being a "cowardly Brit" who knew nothing of oppression. "Damn," he chuckled, "who knew you had this much courage inside you?"

Or maybe it was just foolishness.

 **Jeremiah acknowledged the threat grudgingly by lowering his gun. "Fine, what are your demands?"**

 **The answer came swiftly. "An exchange," Zero declared. "This, for Kururugi."**

 **"Like hell!" Jeremiah glanced at Kururugi out of the corner of his eyes. "He's charged with high treason for murdering a prince. I can't hand him over!"**

 **"No. You're mistaken, Jeremiah. He's no murderer," Zero denied just as Diethard scurried outside. Diethard heaved the camera onto his shoulder and focused on Zero. "The man who killed Clovis…" Zero twisted around to look directly at the camera, "…was** ** _myself_** **!"**

Gino chuckled at Lelouch's dramatics. "I remember watching this from the homeland, with the other Knights of the Round," he said. "It was the most surprising thing we'd seen if months, if not years. Even though he was an enemy, we all thought Zero was impressive."

Anya smiled vaguely. She remembered that, too. She remembered Gino whistling and saying excitedly, _"Now_ that's _an opponent I want to meet in battle!"_

Sometimes, she still found the thought _I remember_ odd and strange in her mind, _wrong._ There were days when she still woke up screaming, afraid she'd forget.

 **The reaction was instantaneous. The gathered crowds gasped, beginning to murmur among themselves. Diethard's mouth fell open in stunned surprise, before a smile tugged at his lips.**

* * *

 **"Unbelievable!" Cecile exclaimed in wonder.**

 **Lloyd grinned. "The real culprit, eh?"**

* * *

 **"What?" The reporter's shock was as obvious as anyone else's. "What does this mean? This masked man called Zero—no, we can't be sure who he is—but in any case, he claims to be the real assassin! So where does this leave the current suspect, Private Kururugi?"**

 **"Ah, crap!" Ohgi swore. "There's no way out of this."**

 _I wonder who's braver, when push comes to shove?_ Tamaki wondered to himself. _Diethard, who smiled at the sight of chaos, or you, Ohgi, who never wanted to take the necessary risks?_

He shook his head and sighed. Ohgi had been appointed leader after Kallen's sister, Naoto, had fallen at the hands of the Britannians. _Why did you choose him, Naoto?_

 **"We are** ** _so_** **screwed," Kallen lamented.**

 **"For a single Eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britannians. I find that to be a** ** _bargain_** **."**

 **Diethard watched Zero through the lens of his camera, his eyes dazed and grin feral.** ** _This is all one big performance to him,_** **he realized in amazement.**

"Was it?" Xingke thought aloud, eyebrows hiking up on his forehead. "Was it all just a performance?" He thought of the Zero he'd gotten to know in the Chinese Federation and nodded conclusively.

"Xingke?" Tianzi asked worriedly when she saw the bitter look of realization on Xingke's face. "Is something wrong?"

"He's right, Tianzi," Xingke said. "It was all just a performance, this is the opening act, and we were all just the actors. We all played our parts to lead to his ascenscion… and inevitably his fall as the Demon Emperor."

"Xingke…" Tianzi whimpered, terrified by the obsession on his face.

He smiled down at her. "After all, _all the world's a stage,_ isn't it?"

"How perfectly fitting," Kaguya agreed. She looked up at Zero's mask, both the one displayed on the screen and the one that oversaw them all from the back of the auditorium. "But what is the plot this time?"

 **"He is mad, I tell you!" Jeremiah boomed. He leaned forward, outraged. "Disguising this truck as His Highness'! He'll pay the price for mocking the crown!" As if reaffirming Jeremiah's threat, the Sutherlands raised their rifles.**

 **"Careful," Zero warned. "You don't wish the public to learn of Orange, do you?"**

 **Jeremiah halted, his brows knitted and lips curled into a snarl.**

Guilford smirked and turned around to leer at Guilford. "Finally," he huffed impatiently, though more quietly than he would have if the tension from their last confrontation hadn't remained. "We'll soon find out _exactly_ what you've been hiding from us."

Gottwald just shrugged, unconcerned. "I can't wait," he said dryly, eyes narrowing. _Calm down,_ he told himself. _Sayoko was right; he's not worth it._

It was the lack of fear that confused Guilford most, but he waved it off in favor of watching the screen again.

 **"Orange?" one of the soldiers guarding Suzaku repeated. "What's he talking about?"**

 **The other soldier had no clue. "I don't know."**

 **Zero tapped on the roof of the car twice with his foot. "If I die, it'll all go public," Zero continued. "If you don't want that to happen…"**

 **"What are you talking about?" Jeremiah demanded in genuine confusion. "What is this?"**

"You're a good actor, Jeremiah," Guilford cackled. "But I'm afraid it's all going to come to light. There's nothing you can do!"

Jeremiah resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _He's not worth it, he's not worth it,_ he repeated the words like a mantra, desperate to leash the anger inside him. _He's a fool who'll get what's coming to him._

 **A portion of Zero's mask slid away to reveal a single, amethyst eye. A familiar red crane surged into the eye. "You'll do everything in your power to let us go," Zero commanded. "Your prisoner as well."**

Understanding slammed into the members of the audience, unrelenting and merciless. "O-Oh," Guilford muttered dumbly, stumbling over his words as he tried to find his voice. He sagged in his seat as his mind attempted to process the unexpected turn.

Jeremiah's lips quirked upwards. "Oh, indeed," he snickered. _That's right, Guilford. You'll see you're the one in the wrong._

 **The ominous red flew from Lelouch's eye to Jeremiah's as the margrave's mind was rewired by the power of Geass. "Right, understood," he said obediently, eyes rimmed with red. He turned. "You there, release the prisoner."**

"B-But this means—!" Guilford spluttered, having finally worked up the courage to speak. The situation was still just beginning to settle in. Reflexively, he glanced at Jeremiah, who was smirking triumphantly at him. Guilford glowered. "So it was the work of Geass," he acknowledged reluctantly.

"Indeed," Jeremiah confirmed. "I wasn't myself when I released Kururugi. I wasn't consciously turning traitor." _Not yet, at least,_ he finished silently.

While Guilford turned away with a stubborn scowl, eyes set into a narrow glare, Anya struggled to suppress the glee that bubbled inside her, her eyes drinking in the reactions of everyone else. "Thanks to this scene, they also can't fault Geass anymore for the way you followed the late emperor's cause," she said, her voice low so that it only reached Jeremiah and Sayoko. "Especially since they are unaware of the Geass Canceller's existence."

He hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "His Majesty never truly needed his Geass. It was useful, I'm sure, but it's not as if he'd fail without it. It was his natural charisma that aided him when all else failed. And besides, he never needed it to turn me to his cause. Not when his identity was enough to convince me."

"That'd be interesting," Anya said, blinking as she considered the scenario. "Emperor Lelouch without Geass... You're right, though. In the end, I doubt he honestly needed it as anything more than a tool."

"Probably," Sayoko said. She turned to Jeremiah and rolled her eyes, jabbing him in the ribs exasperatedly. "And you must be _so_ proud of yourself, aren't you?" she mocked, shooting him an arched eyebrow.

"Of course I am," he returned with an equally wide grin. He raised his shoulders in a prideful shrug, eyes lidding slightly. "They're fools to not see what's right in front of them."

"Or blind," she added in suggestion.

He snorted. "Perhaps so," he allowed. "In the end, I will be the one to laugh as they are forced to face the facts. They are the ones in the wrong."

"You mean _we_ will be the ones to come out unchallenged," she corrected with an annoyed frown. "Stop acting like you're the only one who saw the good in him. I followed him, too. I would have followed him anywhere, no matter what."

His eyes narrowed into slits. The rage he'd felt for himself ever since he'd agreed to the Zero Requiem returned, and he found himself begging for an outlet. For someone else to blame, for once. "Even to his own death, I see," he said disdainfully, almost too quietly for her to hear.

Her eyes widened in shock and indignation. "Who do you think you _are_?" Sayoko snarled. Her hands twitched. "I served Master Lelouch from the moment he came to me. Need I remind you that you, too, did nothing as he signed himself off to death? You knew full well what he was planning, and yet you just _let it happen_."

"You act like I _wanted_ to let it happen!" he snapped, fuelled perhaps by the memory of Guilford's vicious words, striking down upon him. "There is an obvious difference between delivering him to death's door eagerly and doing it unwillingly. And I have yet to cross _that_ line, even now after his body has been buried!"

 _"You betrayed even him, I see."_

 _Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!_ Jeremiah put his fists over his ears and choked down the sound of Guilford's voice.

"And you think _I've_ crossed it?" she demanded, the starch in her voice telling him he'd insulted her. "I chose to obey him even despite the fact that I personally disagreed with his plan. I never wanted to see him dead, Jeremiah. But I swore loyalty to him, and though it meant something aside from protecting him, in that last month, I still refused to betray him."

Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, she could still see him as he'd been when he had issued his last command, his last will. Perhaps it had only been a trick of the light, an effect of the setting sun mixing with the soft glow of the embers burning in the fireplace, but his eyes had contained anguish, swimming with the weight of a thousand wishes and a million hopes as he explained his plan to her and begged for her aid in accomplishing it.

Jeremiah's gaze sobered. "I know," he said finally, his voice strained and solemn. He swallowed, unease in his eyes, and added quietly, "You've always been loyal to him. I _know_ that. I just…"

 _"When things turn out ugly… you just flee."_

His expression was pinched.

 _"You only care about yourself."_

 _I just want to prove them wrong. Prove_ everyone _wrong._

A few seconds after he'd trailed off, she finished searching his expression—for what, he didn't know—and nodded in agreement. "Me too," she said softly. "This disk—it's messing us all up. And it's only the first of two."

"...I didn't want it to end like this, either," he said. "But it was His Majesty's decision. He _chose_ this. And as someone who pledged my life and service to him, I will continue to follow Zero Requiem. Now of all times, as it is unraveling around us with the revelations from these records, I can't stray from the path he laid out."

"I as well," she promised. She sighed. "We need to contact C.C., and soon—this is beyond us, Jeremiah. It's not up to us to decide what to do in a situation like this. Not without the reassurance that this was unplanned."

"We'll ask for a break after this," he suggested. He hesitated, and they both pushed their anger away as he continued with the safe, changed subject. "Even if she isn't His Majesty himself... she'll know what to do, I hope. She has to."

"I'm sure C.C. will have an idea. She seemed to know him best, after all," Anya finally spoke up, smiling mirthlessly. Her eyes flickered back up to regard the screen for a moment, before she chuckled and said, "I'd understand if people thought you'd gone crazy, Jeremiah. I mean, look at you. And just _listen_ to yourself. That's the voice of a man defeated by insanity." If they'd bothered to pay closer attention, they would have heard and recognized the relief in her voice as she realized that, thought it had remained unspoken, they'd both forgiven each other for their rashness.

Sayoko laughed, the little tension that had remained seeped out of her completely, carried away by the usual easy camaraderie they shared as Lelouch's followers. "She's not too far off the mark, Jeremiah," she agreed with a smirk.

He chortled at them both. "You're both wrong," he said, grinning proudly. "Perhaps your eyes are deceiving you, but that's not madness. In fact, you should look closely, because that, right there, is a man possessed by _loyalty_. There is nothing to be ashamed of, I'm afraid, because I'd embrace the label 'crazy' and _more_ for the sake of His Majesty."

"Hey, hey," Sayoko chided teasingly. "Is your old age catching up to you?"

Anya laughed, savoring the lighthearted banter because, for once, she was in the right mind to enjoy it. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "I think Sayoko is right, Jeremiah. After all, at this stage, it wasn't loyalty that moved you, but instead a will enforced by Geass. Or have you forgotten that already?"

He frowned at them both. "The technicalities hardly matter," he countered. "I am His Majesty's most ardent supporter," he declared. "Nothing you say will change that."

"Now, now, Jeremiah. You know, as well as I do, that Master Lelouch has never approved of anyone who would spread rumors and lies involving him," she reprimanded. "If my guess was right, however, and your old age _is_ finally beginning to affect even your robotic body, then I'm sure he would overlook your convenient memory loss." She hummed contentedly. "I wonder if your Canceller can reverse the impacts of mortality?"

"Oh, shut up, Sayoko," he said halfheartedly. He snorted.

"You be quiet, too, Jeremiah," Anya scolded. She grinned and pointed up at the screen. "Unlike yourselves, _some_ people here are _trying_ to watch."

Jeremiah huffed. "Well, I don't really see why you're so interested."

Sayoko nodded agreeably. "It's not like you'll learn anything new," she added.

Anya scoffed and turned to glare at them. "Knowing you two, I'm willing to bet that you left more than just a few things out. And besides..." She hesitated and looked away, almost in embarrassment. "I want to see things from Emperor Lelouch's perspective. And since he's dead, this is my only chance to understand what he thought about, well, _everything_. Or understand it as much as this lets me, anyway."

"...I see," Sayoko said in quiet understanding. She sighed and gave it a rest, relaxing in her seat and craning her neck upwards to better view the screen. "I guess you have a point."

"Excepting your little comment there," Jeremiah said, eyeing her pointedly out of the corner of his left eye. "I'd have to agree."

The edges of her lips quirked upwards into a satisfied smile. "Good," she said triumphantly. "I knew you'd both see it my way. After all, your heads can't be hiding empty space. You two _have_ to have brains _somewhere_ in there."

Sayoko rolled her eyes, heaving an inaudible sigh. Jeremiah's jaw dropped. "Are you—"

Anya whipped her head around so quickly he fell silent out of reflex, wincing and digging deeper into his chair. She squinted at him, her stare challenging him to speak again. When he didn't, she harrumphed and faced away from him, satisfied. "I didn't think so," she murmured to herself. This time, though he heard her, he kept his opinions to himself.

She tuned back into the show, noticing that some time had passed since they'd started talking. She sulked when she realized she'd missed most of the initial reactions to Jeremiah's complete change of attitude.

 **"Lord Kewell, this is an order!" Jeremiah hissed. The red in his eyes became more prominent.**

 _How didn't I guess?_ Cornelia lamented with a grimace that crossed between shame and frustration. _Of course it was geass._ Of course _it was! Lately, everything surrounding Lelouch has to do with Geass!_

 _Truly only a Demon could have such a power._ Her gaze became disturbed. _The power to bend wills._

She was so overcome by her musings that she didn't even realize what this meant: Jeremiah had already been Geassed once, the allotted amount of times Lelouch could enforce his will upon another before the route was banned from him.

Others in the audience, those more accustomed to and less distracted by the horrors of Lelouch's powers, knew what the implications had to mean: Jeremiah's loyalty to his emperor had been voluntary.

 **"It's hard to tell what's happening from here, but it seems that Kururugi's release has been brokered!"**

 **Suzaku walked towards Zero amidst the protests of the civilians. "So, who the hell are you?" Suzaku demanded as soon as he reached the masked man. He flinched as he was silenced by a shock of lightning.**

 **Zero sneered as he noted Suzaku's shock collar. "As I thought, they didn't allow you to speak," he remarked with audible disdain.**

Rakshata shook her head in disapproval. "Despicable," she remarked. "How did they expect him to speak in his own defense, at his _own_ trial?"

Lloyd smiled grimly. "They didn't."

Chiba curled her hands into fists and cast her eyes to the floor. _Britannia…_ she pondered murderously. Even with Empress Nunnally on the throne… She shook her head irritably. Even though the young queen was doing her best to right her predecessors' wrongs, Britannia's sins were too great to erase.

Sometimes, when she was reminded of all these tiny little details that revealed all too well Britannia's cruelty, she still wanted to bomb them all to hell.

Nina shifted closer to Milly and winced. She'd worked alongside Prince Schneizel originally, and she knew all too well that this was the least of Britannia's wrongs.

Milly, eyes locked onto the screen but sensing Nina's movement, latched onto Nina with shaking hands. "It's okay," she whispered, and Nina had to wonder if she was saying it for her or for herself. _Lelouch…_ Milly thought sadly.

 _"Disk?"_

 _"The truth," Nunnally announced with a small smile, so alike to Lelouch's own barely-there smiles._

Milly wanted that more than anything. _The truth._ She wanted to know what drove Lelouch to forsaking his family, his friends, to forsaking _her._ She _needed_ to know, no matter what the answer did to her.

 **Villetta gritted her teeth in frustration. "If they get away, we'll lose everything!" she shouted as she embarked her Knightmare.**

 **Zero's redheaded chauffeur stood beside him. "It's time to go, Zero," she informed under her breath.**

 **Zero smirked, satisfied that his objectives had been achieved. "Well then, till next time," he bid the Britannian officials goodbye. He raised a handheld trigger and pressed the red button; the container opened with a hiss, eliciting panicked screams from the masses as they fled.**

 **"You cowardly Eleven!" Villetta spat, hands on the console of her Knightmare. She was about to attack when a familiar Knightmare slammed into hers, keeping her away from the terrorist duo. She grunted and, when she recognized the Knightmare, widened her eyes. "Lord Jeremiah, what are you…?"**

 **"You heard me!" he shouted madly. "Stand down now!"**

Villetta was tense with displeasure as she watched the events of _the_ disaster that had led to the breakdown of the Purist Faction. At the time she'd been so confused—why would Jeremiah of all people, determined to a fault and so sure of all Elevens' wrongs, risk everything for Kururugi? But now, seeing the Geass compel Jeremiah, she shivered and her eyes darkened with hatred.

Lelouch really _was_ a demon. He hadn't deserved Jeremiah's loyalty, and Villeta _didn't (read: couldn't) understand_ why Jeremiah had given it to him.

 **Zero grabbed Suzaku, his cape swirling around them as he leaped off the side of the highway. Kallen followed suit.**

 **"They're not alone at all," Kewell said in realization. "They jumped right off."**

 **Ohgi was in his own Knightmare, and as soon as Zero, Suzaku and Kallen were over the highway a net shot out of his machine. "It worked!" Ohgi yelled in relief. "Now we can—"**

 **Ohgi was cut off by a hail of bullets that slammed into his Knightmare and tore it apart. "You imbecile!" Kewell barked, his Knightmare slamming onto the ground in front of them. "There's nowhere for you to run!"**

 **Jeremiah spotted them. "Lord Kewell!" he roared.**

 **"Huh!?" Kewell mumbled incoherently to himself.**

 **"Are you going to follow orders or not?" Jeremiah demanded. "And believe me, there will be repercussions. All units, do I make myself clear? Do** ** _everything in your power_** **to help them get away!"**

"Everything in your power, huh?" Tamaki repeated, mind flitting back to Lelouch's Geass-laced command. "Geass really is all-powerful… isn't it?"

" _Absolute power corrupts absolutely_ ," Kaguya quoted, the words echoing within auditorium walls and drifting towards Tamaki.

"Indeed, I can't think of a better quote to fit the power of Geass," Rakshata agreed.

"I wonder though… _was_ Lelouch corrupted 'absolutely'?" Lloyd mused. He smirked when a number of people in the audience jolted and straightened at his words. They immediately began bickering, debating Lloyd's words and offering up evidence either for or against.

Kallen, unsurprisingly, was adamant that if Lelouch ever _had_ been corrupt, it was only because of that dreaded power. _It's all that witch's fault!_ she was yelling.

"Laugh, why don't you?" Cecile grumbled to him as Lloyd listened to the others argue among themselves, a sliver of amusement escaping his eyes.

 **The terrorists were gathered in an abandoned building. "Man, I didn't really think he could do it," one of them said.**

 **"Yeah, who is this guy?" another asked in agreement.**

 **"That's crap!" Tamaki dismissed with an angry snort. "How many times can a bluff like that work, anyway?"**

"Once," Rakshata answered with a laugh.

Sayoko leaned closer to Jeremiah, asking under her breath so only he and Anya could hear, "Do you think they've connected the dots and realized what that means?" She smirked a little. "Or maybe they're so sure that no one could voluntarily obey 'Lelouch the Demon' that they'll ignore the implications."

Jeremiah shrugged uncaringly. "Let them be fools," he said. "Let them conveniently forget that one-time-per-person limit in regards to me and think I was Geassed into becoming his follower. They'll be corrected in time."

Sayoko frowned. "Yeah, well, not soon enough."

 **"You gotta give the guy some credit though," Ohgi interjected. Tamaki mumbled questioningly, and Ohgi carried on, "Gotta admit it, nobody else could've pulled that off. Not the Japanese Liberation Front, and certainly not me. We've always thought that a full-on war with Britannian wasn't a possibility at all. But maybe with him, it is."**

 **Kallen's eyes went wide as she heard Ohgi's words. Slowly, her head turned to face an open doorway.**

* * *

 **"It looks like they treated you rather roughly," Zero began. "Now you know what they're really like, Private Kururugi. Britannia is rotten. If you wish to bring change to this world, then join me."**

Todoh watched the screen with a degree of curiosity. Though he tried not to show it, Chiba could see the questions in his eyes. He'd always wondered what had happened during Suzaku's time in Zero's care; and now he would finally get his answers.

 **Suzaku said nothing but "So, is it true?" After a short pause, he continued heatedly, "Are you really the one who killed Prince Clovis?"**

 **"This is war!" Zero declared. "Why wouldn't I kill an enemy commander?"**

 **Suzaku looked down for a silent second. When he looked up again, a fire burned in his eyes. "And the gas? Those were** ** _civilians_** **out there!"**

Cornelia blinked in surprise. _The same civilians who wanted nothing more than to see you hanged for 'your' crimes,_ she thought derisively. She knew that she shouldn't be surprised, though. Suzaku had proven on more than one occasion that nothing mattered more to him than the lives of the innocent— _even_ if they wanted him dead.

 **"A bluff," Zero excused, "to help things along. The result, not a single death."**

 **"The result?" Suzaku repeated scornfully. "That's all that matters to you, I suppose."**

"And he was a _soldier_ ," Guilford laughed hysterically. "An idealistic soldier loyal to _Britannia…_ Truly one of a kind."

His princess glared at him, but silently, she couldn't help but agree. _Euphie… is it his naivety that drew you to him? What did you see in him, Euphie?_

But she knew what her sister had seen, because now, she saw it, too. She smiled bitterly. She remembered all too well how fierce Lelouch had been even as a child—she remembered the look he'd get in his eyes when one of their siblings or step-mothers would spit upon the graves of Britannia's oppressed Numbers. She remembered how he, too, had once cherished his morals, his _ideals._

 **"Come join me," Zero implored. He extended an arm for Suzaku to take. "The Britannia you serve is a worthless dominion."**

 **"Maybe that's true, but…" Suzaku glared up at the vigilante. "But this nation, it** ** _can_** **be changed for the better, and** ** _from within_** **."**

"You're a goddamn idiot, Kururugi." Kallen was too far gone, so beyond the line between sanity and insanity that her school friends shivered. "A goddamn idiot…!"

His hopeful, expectant eyes disgusted her. But it was for the same reason that she respected him. He'd believed when she had not. Even then, seven years after the war, when Japan was at its weakest—at its _worst_ —and Britannia was at its strongest— _cruellest_ —he hadn't given up hope.

She hadn't been able to look at her downed people and think, _We don't have to resort to violence,_ but he had.

And even if Suzaku had been a fool, even if he'd been _wrong_ at the end…

 **Lelouch's eyes quivered with shock. "Changed?" he echoed breathlessly, as if he couldn't comprehend the very word.**

"Lelouch understands," Cornelia commented. Kallen perked up and listened intently to the warrior princess' words. "He knows that it's impossible. So long as my father sat in that throne… he would never have given in to weakness."

"That's one thing the Demon knew that Kururugi completely failed to realize," Chiba leered.

Nunnally nodded stiffly, frustrated that they still insisted on calling her brother _Demon_ but at the same time understanding that they still had a long way to go. And though it upset her more than anything to hear Cornelia acknowledge their late father's faults, even Nunnally knew that her words were true.

"It was never going to happen," Nunnally agreed from her seat.

Suzaku stiffened with shock—by now he'd accepted and admitted that he had been mistaken in his goals, but to hear _Nunnally,_ the innocent girl who'd always wanted the best, who'd always _thought_ the best of everything…

He shook his head in disbelief. Had he really been that blind, to miss something even a cheerful girl like Nunnally noticed?

"At the very least, that change wouldn't have ever happened with only Suzaku initiating it," Nunnally corrected herself after a while. "Maybe if more influential people tried… if Schneizel, or someone else that high up." She shrugged, attempting nonchalance but coming off as forced instead. She laughed it off uncomfortably.

 **"And any ends gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything."**

 _How could I have known how big of a mistake I was making?_ Zero thought regretfully. He watched as his own figure walked down the steps, rejecting Lelouch, denying his ideals, his justice. _How could I have known that walking away was the worst thing I could have done?_

 **"Wait!" he yelled desperately when Suzaku's feet took him farther and farther from Zero. "Where are you going?"**

Suzaku, in the audience, laughed silently at the sight of it—Lelouch always _had_ been too worried about everything and everyone. Worried for even Suzaku, even after he'd betrayed Lelouch.

 **"My court-martial begins in an hour," Suzaku explained calmly, never deigning to turn around and afford Zero a second glance.**

 **"Are you mad!?" Zero shouted after him, fists clenching. "The only reason they're** ** _giving_** **you a trial is to** ** _find you guilty_** **! The judge, the prosecution,** ** _and_** **defense!"**

"Zero is right," Princess Cornelia said quietly, never lifting her gaze from her lap. She clasped her hands together and added, "Even the suspicion placed on him was for nothing but a ploy—one to further the ends of the Purists. And still Suzaku served us?"

"He was too good for us," Cecile, from all the way across the auditorium, called out.

Cornelia was quiet for a long time, and just when Cecile was going to turn back to Lloyd and murmur _and so was Lelouch_ in his ear, the princess nodded and said, "Perhaps he was, but even more than that, he was a bigger fool."

Lloyd snickered. "The biggest," he agreed.

Cecile reacted on instinct and jabbed him in the ribcage.

Lloyd recoiled. "What did you do _that_ for?" he whined, clutching pitifully at his side.

Cecile just shook her head and sighed disappointedly.

 **"Rules are rules," Suzaku said. "And if I don't go, they'll start cracking down on Elevens and honorary Britannians."**

"That's right," Rivalz mulled over Suzaku's words, "they _would_ have done that, wouldn't they have?"

"Is that even a question?" Milly's eyes twinkled with mischief and her voice was as teasing as ever, but there was a sharp edge in her smile that made Rivalz flinch.

But it was Nina, much to the surprise of all her friends, who asked rhetorically, "This is Britannia we're talking about, isn't it?"

Kallen frowned wordlessly. She remembered Nina as a shy, quiet girl who would never dare say so much as a word against her _beloved_ empire. Nina was as patriotic as you could get—she'd vouch for Britannia and its rulers in a second. And yet now… it seemed like even Nina had acknowledged Britannia's faults.

 _Princess Euphie,_ Nina remembered despairingly, _what would you have thought?_

 **"But you'll die!" Zero retorted.**

 **Suzaku never even faltered. "I don't mind."**

 **"Don't be an idiot." Zero's voice lingered on the brink of begging.**

 **Suzaku finally paused. "An old friend of mine always used to tell me that. He'd say I was a fool," he reminisced. He didn't know the effect of his words on Zero; didn't see the way Lelouch flinched at the memory.**

 **"It's my weakness, I guess," Suzaku continued. "I'd try to bring you in, but you'd just end up killing me. And if I'm going to die, it'll be in the service of the people. Even so, I thank you... for saving me."**

 **He turned back around and walked away.**

"In the service of the people?" Kallen asked quietly. Her friends around her smiled identical weak smiles and glanced up at the image of their deceased friend, but Kallen wasn't talking to the memory—she was asking Zero, who lived and breathed and stood among them. "Is that what it is?"

She chuckled brokenly. "And all those people you killed, as a soldier and then as a knight… everyone you enslaved and conquered in the name of Britannia—that was for _the people,_ too?"

Zero blinked back tears.

"Give me a break," Kallen scoffed hatefully.

Nearby, Gino frowned. _Everyone you enslaved and conquered in the name of Britannia,_ Kallen had said. And even though she hadn't been addressing him, even though she hadn't even glanced at him, it still felt like an accusation.

He bore the weight of the Knight of Three. When he'd first been knighted in the Rounds, he'd never imagined it would lead him to this. He had never imagined that he would come to regret accepting the coveted position.

 **Zero stood tall behind Suzaku, watching him go silently.** ** _You… fool!_**

* * *

 **"Yes, apparently, Private Kururugi has made contact with the authorities." Nunnally sat alone in her room, still gripping the radio in her hands when the news finally came. "It would seem the Zero has released him. However, now that the original charges against him have been thrown into question, it's very possible Kururugi will be found innocent and acquitted."**

 **Nunnally smiled tearfully. "Thank goodness."**

 _Nunnally…_ Suzaku didn't dare let his eyes stray from the screen to the empress, whose knuckles were white against the armrests of her wheelchair. _I'm sorry. Your brother is right; I'm such a fool. I should have listened to him while there was still time, while there was still something we could do._

 **"For legal perspective on all of this, we now turn to our legal analyst…" the announcer droned on, but Nunnally's attention wasn't on him anymore. She paused when the door rattled behind her, and footsteps neared her.**

 **"Miss Sayoko?" she called into the shadows.**

Cornelia gripped her armrests violently as she lurched forward in her seat. Because that wasn't Nunnally's Japanese maid who stood in Nunnally's room. Staring back at them all was an ever-familiar face of wizened features, with striking golden eyes and pin-straight green hair.

"No way," Rivalz breathed. "H-How!?"

"I knew it!" Kallen shrieked, her face twisting into a disgusted glare. Greatly enlarged thanks to the big screen, C.C.'s face stared coldly back at her. "C.C…. you finally show your face."

Nunnally tilted her head curiously. She remembered, of course, this meeting—and as she recalled everything that followed, she realized why Lelouch had been so shocked.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know. I rewrote and rewrote a lot of the reactions in this one. I'm still not exactly pleased with it, with some parts more than others, but I'm satisfied enough and it's about time I uploaded it, so let me know what you think.**

 **Also, yes, I know. It's unlikely for Jeremiah and Sayoko to argue and fight when they both know full well that they each did what they had to for Lelouch's sake. But, come _on._ In real life, arguments happen all the time (even if both parties know neither is in the wrong). It's pretty much human nature to pawn the blame off on someone that isn't yourself. So yeah, that happened, they fought, they each wanted someone that _isn't_ themselves to be at fault for Lelouch's death, and then they made up. Silently. **

**The same with Jeremiah and Guilford's fight. I don't think it's farfetched for Jeremiah to react badly to an assumption of his disloyalty to Lelouch. Jeremiah's pretty crazy when it comes to his loyalty (which is why I love him).**

 **Either way, the next chapter will be the break Jeremiah, Sayoko and Anya keep talking about, so that should come out fairly quicker than usual. I look forward to any and all feedback.**


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